Pot Luck

Amusing chain store fail... (4.00 / 1)

Noticed this one today for the first time.  How ya gonna open a sandwich shop in Philadelphia and call your offerings "subs"?

Jimmy John's on Chestnut, you phail!

;)

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Sun Feb 10, 2013 at 22:57:34 PM UTC

Why is summer still so far away? (4.00 / 1)

I hate the heat, but eggplant and tomato season surely make up for it.

I have to make this ASAP.  I've come across a few versions of this stuffed eggplant dish, at various Middle Eastern restaurants around town (mostly in Center City, and the Italian Market area), but they're so expensive.  And I'm not really interested in the eggplant and tomatoes around town right now, in February in southeast Pennsylvania, which have probably traveled further in the past week than I do in like three years.

I guess I'm looking forward to summer once for a change!

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Mon Feb 11, 2013 at 02:06:11 AM UTC

With lamb and rice? (4.00 / 1)

You don't do meat, do you?

This is pretty wonderful, if you do.

Or at least that recipe seems real close to what I have in restaurant on 42nd Street. Never tried to actually make it myself.  

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by: Eddie C @ Mon Feb 11, 2013 at 04:59:16 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I do. (4.00 / 1)

I broke my vegetarianism about three years ago.  Probably right after the time you and I went to Seaside.

These days, one of my main hobbies is trying to master (chicken and / or turkey) shawarma at home, without a spit.  The basic process involves quick marination (at least for chicken and / or turkey - lamb or beef would ideally take days), roasting and then pan-frying, but I can never quite get it to taste like it does at my favorite places around town.

I will solve this puzzle soon, nonetheless!

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Mon Feb 11, 2013 at 05:09:38 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I'm not real big on shawarma... (4.00 / 1)

unless it is made out of lamb. Then I'm in love.

One of my favorite street vendors started listing recipes. Perhaps he will put up the secret behind his great shawarma soon.    

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by: Eddie C @ Mon Feb 11, 2013 at 05:43:09 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

The real secret is actually having a spit... (4.00 / 1)

...on which to roast it, I'm sure.  ;)

But it is possible to get close to that taste without one.  The Halal carts in Center City do their lamb (and chicken) just on a grill, for instance.  I suspect a long, slow roast at low heat and then a brief frying at temps considerably higher than you can generally get on a home stovetop is probably the key.  Along with a spice blend/s I haven't thought of yet...

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Tue Feb 12, 2013 at 02:16:43 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Yesterday, a walk in the park (4.00 / 1)

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by: Eddie C @ Mon Feb 11, 2013 at 04:37:13 AM UTC

Today, a walk in the park (4.00 / 1)

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by: Eddie C @ Mon Feb 11, 2013 at 04:38:07 AM UTC

The snow down here hasn't... (4.00 / 1)

...stuck around past noon the next day once.

Not that I'm complaining, mind you!  I hate the stuff.  But it still surprises me.  Especially since 'they said' we were supposed to have a colder and snowier winter than usual this year.  It has apparently been colder than usual this winter, but the snow never came.

Again, I'm certainly not complaining though!

I can't wait until the trees are bright green and full of life again, myself.  Orange and Fall stuff, too.  If only we could skip summer, yet get all its good stuff somehow.  ;)

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Mon Feb 11, 2013 at 05:01:39 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Advantages of a tiny studio apartment... (4.00 / 1)

You can clean it, top-to-bottom, in under an hour!  No need for 'Spring Cleaning' here, it isn't even possible to make much of a mess here.  Not enough room to do that!  Heh.

After 11 months here now (I just got the email from USPS yesterday, notifying me that my postal forwarding will expire next month, which is okay since I haven't needed anything forwarded from Portland since like May of last year anyway) in my rear half of the first floor of a corner row house apartment, I've even gotten used to my closet-sized bathroom and its astoundingly small shower stall.  Which is also advantageous in being so easy to clean!

Got me to thinking about NYC's micro apartments.  Of course, those are in what would be considered far 'better' neighborhoods than mine (I have to dispose of at least two or three used needles a month which are dumped out front or tossed over the wall into my postage stamp-sized concrete 'backyard,' along with all other kinds of... interesting... things), and even the rent-controlled low-income units amongst them go for $400 a month more than I pay for my inner city, extremely transit friendly apartment just three miles from Center City and a few blocks from the El and more than half a dozen bus lines, but yeah.

Living small, literally, is something I very much support.  Both of my Portland apartments were at least twice as big as I needed, and in fact when I think about it even the weekly-rate SRO I lived in on West Burnside for five weeks in 2007 was bigger than my current apartment.  A residential hotel room!

'Micro apartments' is probably a bad name from a marketing standpoint, but they actually look great to me, and I'd say we need more of these in our inner urban areas, especially for single folks and as starters for young people just out of school on their own for the first time.

A key component of sustainable urban living moving forward, for those of us who choose this lifestyle, if you ask me...

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Tue Feb 12, 2013 at 01:58:17 AM UTC

So, Chip Kelly has decided to keep Michael Vick around. (4.00 / 1)

Seems like a bad decision to me, but I am not a hotshot NFL coach. I just don't see Vick being able to play Kelly Ball. For one thing, Vick hangs on to the ball too long, way too long.

Oh well. In other news, the Oregonian thinks Chip is going to grab former Oregon QB Dennis Dixon from the Ravens practice squad and bring him to the Eagles.  

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by: caseyOR @ Wed Feb 13, 2013 at 01:03:13 AM UTC

I suppose Vick might... (0.00 / 0)

...be good to have around for a trick play or change of pace during a game.  I'd like to see Nick Foles start from opening day this season, though.

I haven't really watched Dixon much since college, but if anybody knows him it's certainly Chip.

I'm almost looking forward to Chip's dealings with the Philadelphia sports media more than the games, myself.  ;)

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Wed Feb 13, 2013 at 01:18:57 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Uh oh, here it comes... (0.00 / 0)

SEPTA's NPT fare collection system will begin its first phase this September

I just finally got one of these newfangled phones four months ago.  I suppose that was good practice for this new NPT thing (and apparently, my phone itself will work for fare collection?), at least.  Oh well, I catch onto things quickly.

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Thu Feb 14, 2013 at 03:09:31 AM UTC

Ha! (0.00 / 0)

SEPTAember.

I slay me.

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Thu Feb 14, 2013 at 03:09:58 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

JPic... (4.00 / 2)

Here's an even better one.  This is actually one of my favorites, ever.

Jay, a few hours ago, in his troubled rock star pose!

I'm quite a fan of this one, actually...

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Tue Feb 19, 2013 at 02:57:41 AM UTC

Hours and hours of family entertainment (4.00 / 1)

I spent the day with about 4 and a half hours of TEDx Manhattan vids playing in the background of my computer today while I worked. Last weekend they did a series called "Changing the way We Eat." Mostly good stuff, some by people I've heard of. There's three videos of about an hour and a half each.

Here

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by: Crider @ Wed Feb 20, 2013 at 02:50:18 AM UTC

As seen on Frankford Ave... (4.00 / 1)

Missed last year's, I hope I don't have to miss this year's, too.

The KKSD is not a race, but rather a design competition and parade celebrating human powered transit and art in Kensington. Award Categories include- Best Art, Best Costume, Best Engineering, People's Choice, Best Breakdown and a special secret judge award. People get to vote for their favorite entry at the event, so come to the fest and VOTE!

Only three months to go.  By May, it's already hot as hell here most days.  I hope we have at least a few weeks of 50s, in between the 30s of now and the 80s, 90s and 100s of June!

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Wed Feb 20, 2013 at 02:55:22 AM UTC

This is cool... (4.00 / 1)

An analysis, by state, of the most common locations for Craigslist "missed connections" postings.

One question I have is - wtf is going on in Indiana?

I was hoping PA's would be something cool or unique, like "out hunting deer."  Oh, well.  At least it wasn't WalMart...

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Fri Feb 22, 2013 at 12:03:45 PM UTC

Moxie and Elsewhere (4.00 / 2)

Should you ever find yourself in the Honolulu Zoo you might see a female lioness who was once a Bronx resident and a big star in the Big Apple. "Moxie" was born on November 6th, 2008 and made her début at the African Plaines of the Bronx on Earth Day of 2009. As the first lion born in the Bronx Zoo in thirty-one years, she opened to rave reviews. The New York Times wrote "definitely a scene-stealer with a spunky and playful personality."

M'wasi, a long term Bronx resident, played the part of the proud Papa while young zoo goers enjoyed viewing the loving mother skills of M'wasi's young bride, Sukari. This Bronx Zoo video captures the pride of M'wasi and Sukari around the time when Moxie first captured the hearts of children of all ages.

The Bronx Zoo did not wait another thirty-one years for lion cubs. The photo below was taken on May 28, 2010. At the time Moxie was around nineteen months old and in this photo she is surrounded her younger siblings. Moxie was a great big sister and a big help to Sukari in raising the triplets Nala, Shani and Adamma.

This past season it was just M'wasi and Sukari on Lion Island but according to the rumor mill Sukari was expecting and there will be a new pride in the Africa section of the Bronx this spring. I don't know what became of Nala, Shani and Adamma but should you ever visit the Honolulu Zoo, drop me a line and let me know if Moxie has started her own family yet.

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by: Eddie C @ Fri Feb 22, 2013 at 19:18:40 PM UTC

here's my question (4.00 / 2)

what's to become of that other animal that looks like it would make a nice lunch to a lion there?

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

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by: Jill Richardson @ Fri Feb 22, 2013 at 22:01:17 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

That's a Nyala (4.00 / 2)

And here in the Bronx they are fearless. Must be carrying switchblades or something.  

No actually the way lion island is laid out it is surrounded by a deep gully that is too wide for a lion to jump over. The Moxie photo is the view facing south. To the north they used to sit and watch zebra but many shrubs have grown there since the African Plains was constructed.  

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by: Eddie C @ Sat Feb 23, 2013 at 05:40:23 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Yeah, figured... (4.00 / 1)

...there was an unseen barrier of sorts there.  The Oregon Zoo had a similar set-up with Roosevelt elk and wolves.  They were right next to each other, but there was no way for the wolves to physically get at the elk.  In Portland, of course, the elk probably also had fixies hidden behind the trees as an escape plan, should the barrier fail.

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Sat Feb 23, 2013 at 06:15:57 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Do wolves hunt full grown Roosevelt elk? (4.00 / 1)

If I was a wolf I'd pick on something more my own size. Perhaps a lewd comment at a passing Roosevelt elk "nice rack" but actually going after one?    

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by: Eddie C @ Sat Feb 23, 2013 at 14:50:59 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

My understanding... (4.00 / 1)

...is that a wolf pack can take one down, but if the elk holds its ground they'll give up after a while and the elk will live to do more elk things for another day.  If the elk runs, it's vulnerable, and it gets taken down.  And eaten.  According to my recollection of what I heard a few years ago, at least.

Perhaps a lewd comment at a passing Roosevelt elk "nice rack"

Heh.

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Sat Feb 23, 2013 at 23:49:10 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

If you ever have a chance (4.00 / 1)

eat or drink a Cas fruit from Costa Rica.  Two of my five trees gave fruit for the first time last year.

"If a man is as wise as a serpent, he can afford to be as harmless as a dove" Cheyenne

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by: Maracatu @ Sat Feb 23, 2013 at 14:36:14 PM UTC

Impressions on relative age... (0.00 / 0)

Huh, this is interesting to me for some reason.

David Foster Wallace, whose nonfiction collection A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again I am re-reading right now, would have turned 51 this past Thursday.  My dad turns 63 on Tuesday.  I'm still a few months off from 34, myself.

I always thought of DFW as young, and of my dad as old.  Though the writer was closer to my father's age than mine.  By half a decade, at that.

I'm not even sure what, if anything, this means, but it's just something that struck me as rather interesting.  So pardon me.  :)

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Sun Feb 24, 2013 at 00:43:13 AM UTC

Asymmetric mode choice... (0.00 / 0)

I knew there was a word for it, I'm pleased to have finally found it!

It's a public transit concept I've been pondering for a while now, in particular how it relates to my tendency to take the 39 bus home from the York-Dauphin El quite often, but never would I consider taking it to the El.  This is because it's much easier to just walk from home to York-Dauphin on a nice day, or otherwise take one of the north-south buses to Erie-Torresdale, Girard or Spring Garden stations, depending on whether I'm heading up to Frankford or down into Center City.

This also applied back in Portland, where I'd take the 9 downtown from home in Creston-Kenilworth because it was a frequent and direct one-seat ride, and then on the way home I'd take either the 14 or 4 to the 75, since I wasn't usually in a rush to get back home and the 75 stopped right at my corner.

So anyway.  I was just wondering what the word for that was, as I was sure there was one and I was also sure someone had covered this somewhere.  Good to know I was right!

Please excuse the Transit Geekout.  Thanks.  :)

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Sun Feb 24, 2013 at 03:12:34 AM UTC

This is NUTS (4.00 / 1)

http://worldtruth.tv/fda-says-...

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by: ColonelPanik @ Tue Feb 26, 2013 at 01:57:06 AM UTC

I've only put pants on... (0.00 / 0)

...like 38,000 times in my life already.  You'd think I'd know by now that they go on before the shoes.  You'd be wrong.

It's been an interesting day already.

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Tue Feb 26, 2013 at 10:46:16 AM UTC

This is EVERYTHING people need to know about food (4.00 / 1)

Especially people in the hood.

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by: Crider @ Wed Feb 27, 2013 at 18:15:01 PM UTC