SYP Says

New York Bagels in Southern Oregon!

Finally! Real New York bagels in Southern Oregon. Ahuva Bagel Company recently opened in West Medford. We drove by a few months ago and were intrigued, but dubious. We stopped in this past weekend and immediately upon walking in, grilled the owner.

So...what exactly makes your bagels real New York bagels? They're boiled, he says. OK, he passed the first test. Then, when I asked him if he was going to have bialys, he said it was definitely possible. He got points just for knowing what bialys were (although he dropped a point for not having an everything bagel). If he had a true "regular coffee" and was using NYC tap water, we'd really be in business.

No offense to the Little Shop of Bagels and the Key of C Coffeehouse, but in general, I have had some truly god-awful bagels since I left NYC and moved to Ashland, Oregon. (Steamed bagels...what is this world coming to???) So, all hail Ahuva. This displaced New Yorker suddenly feels even better about her current home away from home.

Best Songs of 2008: Week of 5/5-5/12

"You'll Find a Way" by Santogold 

Yes, I'm jumping on the Santogold hype bandwagon. Brooklyn-based Santi White went solo after doing a lead singer stint in the punk band Stiffed and the sound on her first album which I totally love is a cool mash-up of dub, '80s New Wave/Ska and alt-punk. Love her voice too which is reminiscent of Karen O's from Yeah Yeah Yeahs. White has been compared to M.I.A., but I actually like Santogold WAY better. She's also been getting a lot of attention for being one of the few black women in the alt music genre. Here's to her.

Check out her MySpace page for tour dates.

Here's a video of another great song by Santogold, L.E.S. Artistes. For those of you non-New Yorkers, L.E.S. stands for Lower East Side. :)

Star Wars According to a 3-Year Old

In honor of Mother's Day and my own lovely mum, here's Star Wars According to a 3-Year Old--proof that sometimes being a mom is worth it for moments like these.

Here's the 2 min. version.

Here's the 2 min. version interspliced with clips from the movie.

Thanks to Armen for sharing these with me. I told him I needed a laugh and he gave me more than one. :)

You say projector, I say projector

Recently, I had some vendors in for important presentations at work. Our office didn't have enough room given the number of participants and the duration (I had six four-hour presentations over several days), so I decided to book a conference room in one of the local hotels. We chose the Ramada Convention Center in Medford and when we made the reservation, we had a pretty simple request--just a speakerphone, a projector, and an internet connection.

We showed up an hour ahead of time  and found that the speakerphone was from about 20 years ago (it was basically an '80s home phone that happened to have a speaker) and there was no projector. I called the manager and she said she hadn't been told we needed one.

By this point it's about 15 minutes until the meeting needed to start and I'm panicking. The vendor is there, participants are starting to show up and call in (of course, we can hardly hear them).

The manager then says she does have a projector...an OVERHEAD projector. All talking in the room ceased. Long pause.

"...What's an overhead projector...?" I ask.

She gives me a strange look. "It has this arm and a lamp and you put transparencies on it."

"Like from when I was five?" I say incredulously. "Don't you have a projector that, you know, plugs into a laptop?"

"No, we don't have any like that."

"Well, I don't think we can put a 20G powerpoint presentation on transparencies!"

We ended up calling the office in a panic and getting a video projector from work. We also brought our own speakerphone the next day given the entire first presentation probably sounded like we were talking into a tin can.

Lesson learned. When you live kinda in the middle of nowhere, never assume anything.

On a positive note, the people at the Ramada were really lovely and helpful the entire time. I would use them again...I would just bring my own equipment!

If you are actually looking for a projector (the real kind), check out Projector Central or any electronics store.

Or, find out more about projectors because they are just that fascinating.

Best Songs of 2008: Week of 4/28-5/5

"Postcards from Hell" by The Wood Brothers 

Brothers Oliver (of King Johnson) and Chris Wood (of Medeski, Martin & Wood) performed their first public concert in 2005 at one of my favorite NYC venues, Tonic, which sadly closed last year. I know that now, but I didn't know anything about The Wood Brothers until a couple weeks ago when I got an email from bassist Carl Paradis who randomly found my blog by typing in his wife's maiden name "So Young Park." (Great name, I know.) He recommended The Wood Brothers and I really like their laid-back, rootsy folk/blues/country style. Jeff & I recently got new lounge chairs for our top floor deck and these tunes from The Wood Brothers' latest album, Loaded, have been great for enjoying late at night when we're chilling with a beer under the stars. Thanks, Carl (and the other So Young)!

Couldn't find a video of "Postcards from Hell," so here are The Wood Brothers performing "Luckiest Man" at the Pickathon Roots Music Festival in Portland, OR.

Phil in Chainmail (aka The Lost Spartan)

This morning, I woke up to a message from my friend, Phil Terry.

I had a chance to visit the offices of ThinkGeek last week.

They put me in some chainmail, a helmet and gave me a sword and took some photos (with my long-sleeve shirt, watch and suit pants on!).

The helmet I wore was real metal and very heavy - and the chainmail was also real metal and hard to get on and off. But once it was on, it was very cool. I was ready to join the Spartans at Thermopylae. ;-)

I suppose most people nowadays know the Battle of Thermopylae from the recent movie 300 which was based on Frank Miller's graphic novel of the same name. You educated types would know it from the Greek historian, Herodotus, and his book The Histories, widely considered to be the first work of history in Western Literature. It tells the story of the war between the Persian Empire and the Greek city-states in the 5th century BC. Book VII (Polymnia) details the story of Leonidas I and the Battle of Thermopylae.

For those of you who know Phil, you know he is a HUGE student of the classics and ancient history. He is also quite the persuasive fellow and a year or two ago, he got me to re-read The Odyssey, as well as The Histories. The first time I read the former, I was in school and translated it from Latin to English. On the one hand, I got to know some of the key passages very well. OTOH, I never really enjoyed the full story end-to-end. I had actually never read the latter until recently and I highly highly recommend Robert Strassler's version, The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories. It is perfect for the modern reader who is not a scholar with wonderful maps and simple, clear translation. We met Mr. Strassler at The Met when we read his Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian Wars--he is a very cool guy who is devoting his retirement to making the classics more accessible. (A pic of us at our Met dinner is here.)

If reading something a bit lighter is more your fare, try the Latin poet, Catullus. His work is short, often humorous, and quite shocking and explicit in its day, focusing mainly on matters of love, sex, and everyday life.

For more pictures of Phil Terry, The Lost Spartan, Phil in Chainmail pix are on Flickr. You are also welcome to join Phil in reading the classics. For more info, check out The Reading Odyssey.

And if you must have that chainmail shirt, get it on ThinkGeek.com (hint: check out the guy in the Action Shot!).

Back to NYC April 2008

A couple of weeks ago, (the Pope &) I spent 8 days back home in NYC. I was in town for Customer Experience Council meetings, but I took some vacation days so I could enjoy being back in the city with my friends and my old life. Believe it or not, this post will be sans action shots because my Blackberry doesn't have a camera (yes, I'm a loser) and my camera was on the fritz. I think my friends were relieved as I've been on a bit of a tear the last couple of years. Everyone worries about getting stuck on my blog doing things they'd rather not remember. :) Warning: This is a very long post!

The first half of my trip, I stayed with my friend, Karen. Now that she is divorced from TOAD (see pic at left), she is so much happier which makes me happier, of course. Her partner in crime, David, came over to hang my first night in town--he and his family were the inspiration for one of my all-time fave shows, Six Feet Under. No surprise--he is hysterically funny.

We left him to check out his lovely new apartment (long story involving a dead man and his dog) and made our way to meet Karen's new BF for dinner at Etats-Unis Bar, a slice of the West Village on the Upper East Side. They have an eclectic casual menu focused on fresh, seasonal ingredients, that is much different from their more formal restaurant across the street. Don't miss their spicy guacamole and date pudding for dessert!

Sunday in NYC always, always starts with brunch. We chose to go to Morandi, the new rustic Italian trattoria from Keith McNally, the clever man who brought us Balthazar, Pastis, and Schiller's Liquor. We started with fried artichokes with lemon and then I dug into poached eggs over fava beans, artichokes and escarole. We were SO full, but couldn't pass up ricotta fritters for dessert. David took one on the road with him for his first trip on the Ikea bus. Although he did not buy any furniture, he did get several of their infamous blue bags!

Karen and I were now fueled up and ready to shop til we dropped. We hit a variety of shops in Nolita, including one of my favorites, bag (formerly called shoe, now up the street), where I found the perfect summer yellow purse, and we took a quick sake break at Chibi's. I had great success in Soho too at Bloomie's downtown and Max Studio. We stopped off at Te Casan, a very cool shoe store that is design and fashion-forward, focused mainly on limited-edition shoes, such as Natalie Portman's new shoe line for vegans. We had dinner at the exotic, Thai-fusion restaurant, Kittichai. Karen was craving their chocolate baby-back ribs and although I hadn't been to Kittichai in a few years, I did remember how beautiful the interior is and had a faint memory of delicious cocktails, so who was I to complain.

Monday was all about pampering myself. I slept late on the Aero Bed which was surprisingly comfy, played with Lily & Max, sipped coffee, danced around, and before I knew it, was a scant 15 minutes away from being late for lunch. I cabbed it down to L'Impero to meet Tara, a recruiter I used when I worked at A&E. I hadn't seen her in a long time and it was so nice to catch up. She's now heading up Jobplex at DHR International, one of the largest HR firms around. I had been hearing about this restaurant for years and it didn't disappoint, although the setting is much more formal than I expected. I started with an appetizer of sardines, buffalo mozzarella, roasted red peppers, and pesto. It was a lovely combination--a bit salty, sweet, and creamy. At lunch, you can get half orders of pasta, so I ordered Sardinian saffron pasta with crab, sea urchin and fresh tomato. It was the best pasta I'd had since I left NYC two years ago. I walked around town and then ended up at Sol Spa for my Korean scrub & massage appointment. (For those of you who haven't been paying attention, here is why I love Korean scrubs so much.) Met David and Karen for drinks at Lucy at ABC (one of my all-time favorite stores) and then off to The Modern for dinner.

Genius NYC restaurateur, Danny Meyer, did a Council call earlier this year I unfortunately missed. He was going to be speaking in person at the Council meetings though and as part of that, we got an email from Phil at the beginning of April saying we should book reservations for one of Danny's restaurants through his personal assistant and be prepared to give feedback. I chose The Modern at the MOMA since I'd never been and Phil highly recommended it.

We were in the dining room and by this point in the night, a bit on the rowdy side. I had just gotten my scrub, of course, and Karen and David couldn't stop touching the back of my neck. I have to admit it was smoooove. We had also had enough to drink that merely saying, "He-llo? Helloooooo? Hellooooooooooo?" to each other in a funny accent had us in stitches. The food was amazing though--sophisticated with a very light touch and we had the best time. And it was more than enough--I kept reading reviews that said the portions were small, but we didn't find that to be the case. In fact, there was dessert after the dessert course--cute little bon bons--and when David dropped one of the yummiest ones on the floor, they brought us an entire new tray! Even with our...um...boisterous behavior, Dino, the assistant manager of The Modern, welcomed us warmly and said he would see me on Wed at the Rainbow Room dinner later that week. As it turns out, he actually did remember me which was quite impressive, I thought, given the number of people he sees every day.

Tuesday brought a bit more shopping, lunch at Won Jo, one of my favorite restaurants in Koreatown, and eyebrow threading at Perfect Shape Threading Salon (seriously, if you have never done this, do it today--it is cheap, quick, and your eyebrows will never look better). Met a bunch of the old A&E crew at the Flatiron Lounge and then met two friends for dinner--Mary, formerly of HBO, now of MAINE(!), and Sarah, formerly of BabyCenter.com, now of Snapfish.com. Now that Le Tableau has closed (which I am so, so sad about), I figured Lucien would be a good spot to go. It's a perfect place to have fun conversation with friends and enjoy bistro fare--fish soup, salad, frites, wine. Afterwards, I met a friend at the Brandy Library (see pic at left) in Tribeca for a swanky nightcap. You can choose from over 900 bottles of spirits--an amazing selection. Ignore the sign on the outside claiming it's full. I strolled right in and got a comfy seat and it really wasn't all that crowded. I think they just do that to keep the riff-raff out (clearly, they failed in my case).

Wednesday it was back to work in the afternoon, so I spent the morning checking out of Hotel Stavisky and checking into the modern boutique Hotel QT. (How could I not choose to stay in a NYC hotel that has a swimming pool in the lobby? Plus, the beds here are amazing.) After our meetings, we had the Council's Annual Copernican Awards Event and Dinner at the Rainbow Room. At one point, I was sitting at my table and I heard someone yell my name "S-O  Y-O-U-N-G"! I looked up and there was Dino from The Modern! I was so surprised he'd remembered me. Great guy and so friendly--he is perfect for the job he has.

A bunch of us went out afterwards and went to chill at Tillman's, a bit of Harlem in Chelsea with a vibe I really loved. Can't go wrong with Billie Holiday, classic cocktails, and one of the best grilled cheese sandwiches ever (get the French Onion one!). It's a bit hard to find--it's on the north side of the street at 165 26th between 6th and 7th. There's a doorman. Be nice and you won't have any problem. :) Marie & I stayed out a little longer, making it to Happy Ending for a drink (it's not what you think--this former Chinatown massage parlor is now a dance spot) and then the 24-hour meat-packing-district staple, Florent, for late-night frites.

Thursday was another full day of meetings. Afterwards, Councils 1 and 3 went bowling at Leisure Time Bowl, the bowling alley at Port Authority. The beer and pizza weren't great, but the company was, and furthermore, I bowled an awe-inspiring 76. Woohoo! So, no, I was not "Obama-bad." And then it happened. I was forced to go karaoking for the second time in my life. Several of us from Council 1 who will remain nameless to protect the not-so-innocent convened at Sing Sing, an East Village karaoke bar on St. Marks Place. We got a private room and spent hours doing truly unforgettable renditions of everything from The Cars' "Good Times Roll"  and The Human League's "Don't You Want Me," to "Puff the Magic Dragon," "Baby Got Back," "London Bridge," Iron Maiden's "Run for the Hills," "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," "Ring of Fire," "Electric Avenue," "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", and my personal shining moments, Guns N Roses' "Sweet Child O Mine" and Foreigner's "Waiting for a Girl Like You". I have never laughed so hard in my life. And who knew "Islands in the Stream" was so tricky?

Friday...had to be up bright and early. Considering the night before, it was tough, but I prevailed. I had gnudi at The Spotted Pig to look forward to, so I made it through the day and then met Keith around 9.  David and Karen joined us there later after seeing a play called "A Catered Affair"--NOT recommended btw. I stuffed myself with not just gnudi, but other delights as well, including a delicous duck egg with sauteed ramps and the always fabulous banoffee pie. Their site has a full menu. And as proof that my gnudi obsession has not only gone global, but affected my friends at work now, apparently Keith was in a business meeting in Australia when in the presentation, they brought up my blog and pictures of us having gnudi at The Spotted Pig. Pretty funny stuff. (My friends know how much I love the gnudi, but for those of you who don't, here are all of the posts I've written on the topic.)

On Saturday, I met my long-time friend Michelle for brunch at Alice's Tea Cup on the Upper West Side, hung out at Central Park, and then went down to the West Village. We stopped in at Corner Bistro, one of my all-time favorite places in NYC for a McSorley's. It was so nice to spend time with her. Then it was off to Grand Central to go up to Goldens Bridge for *my very first Seder*. Much more on this in another post, but suffice to say, I had gefilte fish (slightly sweet), asked the Four Questions, and sang in Hebrew! It was very special. Given it was my last night in the city, I just couldn't go straight home afterwards, so I went to my favorite jazz bar, Smalls, and enjoyed saxophonist Marcus Strickland doing his thing.

My last day (sniffle) was spent checking out and then meeting Karen, her new BF, Randy, and David for brunch at Cafe Sabarsky, the Viennese Kaffeehaus in the Neue Galerie. The Pope, whose schedule had been matching mine pretty closely all week (I go to Westchester, he goes to Westchester; I go uptown, he goes uptown), once again shut down the area near where I needed to go. The Popemobile reminds me strangely of the clear plastic box David Blaine trapped himself in when he suspended himself from the Tower Bridge in London several years ago.

Anyway, back to Cafe Sabarsky. I had my luggage with me and at first they wouldn't let me in. After my luggage was searched and locked away in a bombproof room (OK, not really), we figured it all out and I was able to enjoy a lovely two-hour brunch that included crepes with smoked trout and horseradish cream, and wiener melange one of the best cups of coffee ever with the funniest name. Apparently pronounced "veener" not "wiener," our server guffawed with laughter every time we misspoke. Seriously, he actually said to us "That never gets old." At least he admitted that I was in good company since he said Jake Gyllenhaal made the same pronunciation gaffe. The food is very good here, but it's the pastries that really make people drool. We had two--Sabarskytorte which is a dark chocolate and rum torte and some kind of Quark cheese strudel. What a sweet way to end my trip.

The best part was on the way to Cafe Sabarsky, my cab driver asked if I was going to the airport afterwards. I said I was and did he want to take me.  I needed to leave at 1. He said yes, I will be here at 1. Whoa! Let me just say that this never happens. Cab drivers in NYC never pre-arrange to come get you, because they never need to. So now I have something else to thank the Pope for! 

Best Songs of 2008: Week of 4/21-4/28

Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds 

I have been listening to this tune for about a month and it occurred to me that it would have made a perfect song of the week choice around Easter--lol. You can't enjoy a living poet like Nick Cave without giving some real attention to his lyrics. So here they are. Dig it.

I'm not sure why Nick's new look has him looking like a '70s drug dealer, but check out the video anyway.

Isla Mujeres, Mexico: After

It's been several weeks now since I was in Isla Mujeres. I was so excited about the trip that I posted before-hand. This perfect little island off the coast of Cancun had the best beach I've ever been to--and I've been to beaches all over the world from India to St. Martin to Baja. Granted, there are many many more I haven't been to, but the Isla Mujeres beaches are number 1 for me at least for now.  The beach at our hotel had such clear, blue water, but the most amazing part was how far out into the ocean you could walk and the water rarely got above mid-chest level. You could just go and go and go until you were basically standing in the middle of the ocean.

Isla Mujeres is the anti-Cancun and that's the way I like it. As soon as we got off the ferry, I was reminded a little of India with its laid-back feel, low, colorful buildings, and people on bikes carrying 10x their weight. We hoofed it to our home for the week, the lovely Ixchel Beach Hotel. My family was sharing an ocean-facing suite with a huge wraparound deck. As is customary on our family trips, we immediately went to the local grocery store to buy water, fruit, and juice (in Mexico, we especially love the juice/soy milk beverages) and get the lay of the land.

We spent the bulk of our trip chilling on the beach, swimming, playing cards, drinking tequila, and eating a lot. As a true foodie family, we will not go on a trip unless we think the food will be excellent. We weren't disappointed. And because Isla, like the rest of the Mexican Riviera, has a large number of transplants from Europe, there is a wonderful mix of cuisine.

We found the best fish tacos, ceviche, and garlic conch and octopus (pulpo)  to be at an open-air seafood restaurant called Cockteleria Justica Social (Social Justice). Social Justice is on the water on the same side as the ferry but up the street quite a bit--the opposite direction from the more touristy restaurants (and Picus, which I had heard good things about but hated). I like that it's removed, but I'm also concerned that it is a bit hard to find. I don't want it going out of business before we make it back!

We also had outstanding local grilled bbq fish called tikin-xic, amberjack marinated in lime and coated with achiote paste and grilled until bright red. Our favorite was at Playa Lancheros which is about mid-island on the water. This was one of the biggest fish I've ever eaten. It looked strangely like ribs as you can see in this picture and the meat was almost more like chicken than fish. Delicious though.

My favorite hangout was Manana, a bookstore and restaurant run by an Israeli couple. Don't miss their various coffee concoctions, smoothies and snacks. We also had an amazing breakfast there on our last day that included a Moroccan-inspired dish of spicy tomatoes and over-easy eggs.

For a healthy, European-flavored meal, check out Elements of the Island which has homemade preserves and interesting dishes from Switzerland (as well as rooms for rent and pilates and yoga classes!). The pizza at Rolandi's was quite good, especially the ones with seafood and huitalacoche (corn funghi which is a delicacy in Mexico...it tastes like a smoky type of mushroom, basically). If you want to have fun on a Sun night, go to the basketball courts in the center of town and enjoy homemade tacos and sweets with the locals for church dinner. My favorite meal though was at the newly opened Olivia's, a Mediterranean restaurant with a beautiful setting and a delectable mix of cuisine from Greece to Turkey to Morocco. Last, but not least, once we found the gelateria, Cool, we went there for dessert *every night*. The best  flavors--cinnamon, nutella, and kahlua coffee with tons of ground up coffee bean right in the cream. mmmmmmmm

The best way to see the entire island which is only 5 miles long and less than a half mile wide is by   moped or golf cart. The southern part of the island is gorgeous and where most of the locals live, so don't miss doing this. Among other things, we saw the baseball field, a local k-mart(!), a house shaped like a seashell, and of course, amazing views.

My aunt loves reggae, so one night we went to a club called Caribe and my dad bought us Cuban cigars. Now, I am a novice cigar-smoker and I couldn't light my cigar to my family's amusement.

There was an older guy at the bar smoking a cigar, so my dad says, "I bet he knows how to do it. Go ask him." So I trot up there and he helps me out. My mom comes up to us and takes a picture. He totally freaks and then my mom makes it so much better by saying, "No, it's fine, I'm her mom!"

My dad had heard that Captain Tony was the only guy we could trust for a boat trip and because the  weather can be a bit unpredictable (and Captain Tony won't go out if it's at all rough), the best thing to do is to go to his house first thing in the morning and check in with him to see if he'll be making a run or not. It took us a couple of tries, but we eventually made it on a trip to a nature preserve called Contoy Island.

The boat was not large, but with the help of a calm sea and a couple Dramamine, I was fine on the way out. On the way back, however, the wind unexpectedly began to kick up and in addition to basically being in a continuous shower for 2 hours straight (with the occasional water gun squirt to the face), the waves were so high we almost turned over. The 20 of us on the boat thought this was pretty funny and in between wiping our faces from the constant soaking we were getting, we were squealing from our stomachs dropping over and over, and even singing the theme to Gilligan's Island. Captain Tony otoh was amazing the way he handled it all. I am sure we were a distraction. :) Even after all that, he stopped to let us do some mid-ocean snorkeling. The current was so strong, I felt like I almost got pulled out to sea a couple of times, but it was worth it. I hung onto the rope and was rewarded. I've never seen such huge fish in my life. And I mean HUGE...barracuda and other giant colorful fish with big teeth. What a way to top off the day which had some of the clearest water and most beautiful beach I'd ever seen and stingrays that swam with you at Contoy. I touched one and it was so weird feeling--slimy but firm. One in particular liked me and followed me around. I named him Joe. (If you are wondering where the picture is of me touching Joe, my mom flubbed it--lol.)

If you are thinking of going to Isla Mujeres, be sure to visit IslaMujeres.net and especially MyIslaMujeres.com, home of the Map Chick. Her map was invaluable btw.

Find out more about my trip and check out all of my Isla Mujeres trip photos!

Haven't gotten enough? Visit the Big Sweet Tooth blog for more from another Isla Mujeres-lover.

A query

Now that I live in the middle of nowhere, I wonder...am I too demanding? Have years of living in Manhattan really reduced me to the kind of person who sends back drinks because the balance just isn't quite right?

Um...yeah. Now bring me another.

CEC1 Recommendations

I've been a member of the Customer Experience Executive Councils run by Creative Good for four or five years now. Lately, we've been starting our sessions with updates from each member and things to recommend to one another. The Councils are private, but because these are some of the smartest, most well-informed people I know, I thought I would share just the recommended list so you too can benefit. I suspect if you check out some of the items below, your IQ and taste bud sensitivity will go up at least 5 points.

Blogs/Sites

• 43Folders.com: Blog on time management
• BeFunky.com: Funky ways to express yourself
• Doodle: Site that helps people agree on date/time of something
• FreeRice.com: Feed the world, one grain at a time
• ffffound.com: Image bookmarking
• Future Perfect Blog and NYT Article
• MyHeritage.com: Fun facial recognition software
• Omnigraffle: A wire-framing tool for Macs
• PaidContent.org: The economics of content
• Pingg.com: Design invitations
• Smashing Magazine: Innovative tips for designers & web developers
• Stuff White People Like
• White Whine

Books

• Alexander Hamilton Biography
• Andrew Carnegie Biography
• The BinLadens by Steve Call
• Christianity and the Social Crisis (1907)
• Five Dysfunctions of a Team
• Getting Things Done by David Allen
• How Doctors Think
• Liberty vs Democracy debates by James Bovard
• The Little Red Book of China Business
• Team of Rivals
• What Customers Want
• Wild Swans

Other Stuff

• Baby Charles, a funk band from Brighton
• Conference called "Interesting"
• Go to Africa and check out the non-profit project AsanteAfrica.org
• Go to the Grand Canyon with (or without!) your kids
• If you like really spicy food, ask for "gunpowder" in any South Indian restaurant
• Le Creuset "buffet" casserole
• Oberoi Hotel in Rajasthan, India
• Sonos Wireless Music System
• Visit Nova Scotia
• Wines from the Toro region of Spain

Restaurants Around the World

• Adelitas Taqueria in San Jose, CA
• Bazin's on Church Street in Falls Church, VA
• Bistro Elan in Palo Alto, CA
• Caduff's Wine Lofts in Zurich, Switzerland
• Corner Bistro in West Village (NYC)
• Figs in Charlestown, MA
• Fribourger Fondue-Stuebli in Zurich, Switzerland
• Heidi's in Minneapolis
• In-n-Out Burger (all over CA and a few other Western states)
• Keungama Tofu House (Korean) in Los Angeles, CA
• Liberty Cafe in San Francisco
• Napa Rose at Disneyland
• The Oceanaire in Baltimore
• Osha (Thai) in San Francisco, CA (the third street location is best)
• Ottolenghi: A healthy restaurant in London
• Panera: A location near you!
• Phuong Trang (Viet) in San Diego, CA
• Pizzeria Mozza, Mario Batali's new pizza place in Los Angeles, CA
• Pylos in NYC
• Slanted Door in San Francisco, CA
• St. John: A meat restaurant in London
• Tamarine in Palo Alto, CA
• Tiger Noodles in Princeton, NJ
• Tofoo Com Chay in San Jose, CA
• Uncle Bill's Pancake House in Manhattan Beach, CA
• Uncle Yu's in Livermore, CA
• Willie's in Shrewsbury, MA (Worcester area)
• Zenna Noodle Bar in Brookline, MA

Best Songs of 2008: Week of 4/14-4/21

"Northwestern Girls" by Say Hi 

Eric Elbogen, the musician formerly known as the band Say Hi to Your Mom is, like me, a former New Yorker who recently transplanted to the great Northwest (SYP to Ashland, OR; Say Hi to Seattle, WA). Say Hi to Your Mom was known for...and this is going to sound weird...an entire fourth album of clever indie pop songs about vampires called Impeccable Blahs. Say Hi has since dropped that theme and the latter half of its name. EE/SH's fifth and most recent album, The Wishes and The Glitch, is not about vampires, but it still has great tunes. To get a sense of what Say Hi is all about, check out their FAQ. It's amusing.

Here's Say Hi last year at that classic NYC music institution, The Knitting Factory, where years ago, I met David Byrne!

Best Songs of 2008: Week of 4/7-4/14

This Time by Baby Charles 

The UK's newest funk sensation from Brighton, Baby Charles, fronted by Dionne Charles, just released their debut album and it's a doozy, perfect for grooving to at your next party. Comparisons to Sharon Jones are inevitable here, but to my ear Baby Charles is a little grittier and a tad more '70s than '60s. Not just a throwback, Baby Charles even had the cheek to cover one of my favorite songs of late, "I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor" by Arctic Monkeys. A live in-studio session including the cover is on Mark Lamarr's BBC Radio 2 Show God's Jukebox from March 29.

They're on tour. Check out Baby Charles on MySpace for more info, tunes, what-have-you.

Best Songs of 2008: Week of 3/31-4/7

"So He Won't Break" by The Black Keys 

We all knew The Black Keys from my home state could rock. In Attack & Release, their newest effort (and first in a real recording studio), with producer extraordinaire, Danger Mouse, they show a slightly different side, their bluesy rawness tempered with more complex layering and a more subtle touch. I love every song on it and it's the best album I've heard so far this year. Purists may not like the more polished direction as the duo from Akron, Ohio is known for doing their own stripped down recordings, but I think this new evolution of their sound really works.

No video yet of the song "So He Won't Break," but here's another song I really dig from the album, "Things Ain't Like They Used to Be." They're on tour; find out more at The Black Keys MySpace page.

Ashland Indie Film Fest 7th Annual

The 7th Annual Ashland Independent Film Festival is underway! Don't miss what LA Weekly calls the "almost-perfect blend of programming, audience and location."

You can still purchase tickets online for films at the AIFF Web site. You can also go to the box office at the art-deco Varsity Theatre on Main Street. There's a lot going on, although, alas, no official Bruce Campbell screenings or events. Besides the films and the late-night discussions at The Black Sheep, the official after-lounge of the AIFF, tonight at the Awards dinner, the 2008 AIFF Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to "the dean of documentary filmmakers" Albert Maysles. He will bring his classic documentaries Gimme Shelter, Grey Gardens, and his new film The Gates to the festival this year. (I saw The Gates when I lived in NYC and it was amazing.) Academy Award Winner Helen Hunt showed her directoral debut Then She Found Me yesterday and will receive the 2008 AIFF Rogue Award.

Widely known as one of the best small indie film festivals in the country, the AIFF recently received a prestigious grant from the Academy Award of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It was the only festival in the Northwest and only one of twenty in the U.S. to receive one.

I was on the advisory board of the festival this year. I would have liked to have done a lot more, but I did manage to do a couple of things, including donating my own money and bringing Musician's Friend on as a local sponsor for the first time. And just my luck, I have been fighting a nasty Spring cold for a week and am still sick--not good for being in a theatre or anything else for that matter. I had hoped to make it to the event tonight but it's not looking good.

Nonetheless, I'm glad to have played even a tiny role in AIFF's festivities this year. It seems to specialize in showing interesting documentaries and is a wonderful part of the Ashland culture. It's really nice to be in a place as small as Ashland that still has fun things to do.  DVD Talk visited the festival last year and said "With strong programming, an extremely supportive audience, and a charming small town (with a world class Shakespeare festival), it's an excellent festival choice for people who can't imagine dealing with a larger fest like Sundance or SXSW." We don't have too many goodie bags for the celebs, but we do have a lot of heart. :)