Today's topic for discussion is:
| Merry Christmas! |
| posted at: 12:32 | permanent link to this entry |
| They aren't sugar plums, but they are pralines, and they turned out right this time.
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| posted at: 19:46 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| Silly game of the week: Frantic. |
| posted at: 19:45 | permanent link to this entry |
| And so, I attempted pralines. The thermometer didn't correctly register the temperature; in an attempt to not scorch the batch, I ended up not heating the batch enough to trigger hardening (for the most part). So, I ended up with a bowl of praline-flavored goo, as scraped up from the cooling sheet. It will go well in oatmeal over the winter. |
| posted at: 01:19 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| More on the Rick Warren flap: ATLMalcontent vs. the petty queer establishment. |
| posted at: 01:16 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| Growing up, video game play (and players) were measured by points, and maybe completion. Nowadays, a gamer's true score is determined by achievements. |
| posted at: 20:27 | permanent link to this entry |
On the mirror behind the bar, you'll find taped an AJC page, with a headline of 5-11. That, of course, was the preseason prediction of the Falcons' record this year. The page has been on display since print day, and has looked progressively sillier, as the season progressed. Now, with the Falcons at 10-5 with one game left, it's clear that a new era has arrived in Atlanta. |
| posted at: 20:25 | permanent link to this entry |
| ajc.com is running a photo gallery, highlighting the Year in Stupid for 2008. |
| posted at: 17:11 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| It seems that Hooters is opening franchises in China, adding 'breaded chicken wings' to the list of diseases China has to worry about. |
| posted at: 02:25 | permanent link to this entry |
El Taco has made quite a splash in the local foodie scene, with multiple reviews accompanying its first two months of operation. I've walked by multiple times, and they're doing a brisk business with the local foodie, family, and nightlife crowds. Overall, the restaurant doesn't take itself too seriously, in marked (and likely, intentional) contrast to its prior incarnation as Sala. I find the best change Fifth Group made was to remove the giant "unibrow", which provided a false ceiling for Sala's bar (and occupied what seemed like 1/4 the room's volume). The space is now completely open, and that's great. The "Wheel of Taco" is silly, and that's the point of this place -- gourmet dining without the shoulder chips (although the pre-spin megaphone announcements are overkill). PozoleHowever, if you're heading into town for dinner, stop by Pozole instead. They occupy a converted house behind Dark Horse and Surin. It's a very small place, with open windows making up for the (relative) lack of floor space. They run a highly capable kitchen, and make the best tacos I've tried in the past year. The tortillas seem to contain quinoa flour, judging from the nutty flavor which complements the tacos' rustic nature. The other items I've seen look to be of similarly great quality. Two other plusses: Pozole is open late (1:30 am, IIRC), and they start any bar events at a later hour (11pm trivia, etc.) to make room for the dinner crowd. |
| posted at: 06:55 | permanent link to this entry |
And then, the weather patterns shifted, and it's been raining Gulf air for 2 of the past 3 days, and 6 of the last 9. And actually, last week brought the first multi-day soaking we've had in almost a year. Hopefully, the forecasted 30-40% rain chances will hold up this time. |
| posted at: 06:26 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| Online spelling cockup of the week: "...a veritable plethera of interesting wines..." |
| posted at: 05:28 | permanent link to this entry |
| My reaction to the Madoff "scandal" has been largely one of laughter. It's as if Miami has sunk into the Atlantic. Even better, the usual "libertarians" I run across are nowhere to be seen, and look more exposed by the minute. It's as if they all realize the SEC got paid off to preserve the free market. They lose if they pipe up, and they lose if they stay quiet. LOL! |
| posted at: 05:28 | permanent link to this entry |
Silly Mundanes -- Politics Edition
| Silly Governor, planning to sell an open U.S. Senate seat, using self-nomination as a default option. You should have just run a Craigslist ad instead of bragging/discussing it on the phone (landline, no less). |
| posted at: 20:12 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| Forty years and still clicking: the computer mouse hit that milestone today. |
| posted at: 16:22 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. |
| posted at: 16:05 | permanent link to this entry |
BBC News is reporting that researchers in Manchester have isolated brain infections of herpes simplex virus (HSV) type-1 as a cause of Alzheimer's disease. Abstract is here. I remember that protein-based 'plaques' are recognized as a nominal cause of Alzheimer's, but hadn't heard of the HSV connection until now. Huge news, then, when I read this: ...in Alzheimer's disease brains, 90% of the plaques contained the viral DNA and 72% of the DNA was associated with plaques; in aged normal brains, which contain amyloid plaques at a lower frequency, 80% of plaques contained herpes simplex virus type 1 DNA but only 24% of the viral DNA was plaque-associated (p < 0.001). Given that the researchers are looking at human brain sections here, they're talking about real infections in people, vs. controlled lab infections in mice. They describe a combination viral infection and genetic vulnerability to that virus, and it's a huge (if sobering) step forward. The good news is that a culprit has been all but caught in the act. The bad news is that it's one of the most common viruses around. The other bad news is the likely reality of multiple types of viral Alzheimer's and other dementias. |
| posted at: 16:03 | permanent link to this entry |
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| posted at: 14:43 | permanent link to this entry |
Earlier this year, I stopped for supper on the way back from Norcross; and the restaurant is quite good. However, I call "Lander" on CL, for whom I think Panahar serves a role as "gateway" to Buford Highway and its 8000 ethnic restaurants. Consider: It's easily located, South Asian but not Indian, Muslim but not Pakistani (or Iranian), and their sign is not only in English, but easy enough to spot that even I saw it while driving home. The hype also explains why that book club was holding a dinner meeting that night. |
| posted at: 14:39 | permanent link to this entry |
[Yep, I took a week off...as in "too distracted/lazy to finish any blog snippets."] It's looking good for Martin and Powell. While not frozen over, today's weather fills the "Cold Day in Hell" requirement for Georgia to defeat The Plantation Machine in an election. I wonder who could possibly have brought this wintry stuff down here? The campaign advertising for the senate runoff went plaid over the weekend, with absurdities and pasta-flinging from any PAC with an extra dollar to spend. It's as if the campaigns decided to offer a hole for every head. I still have no pick in the appellate runoff, though I have a slight homerism toward Mercer Law. Peach Pundit has posted final statements from both candidates (Powell, McDonald) in the PSC District 4 runoff. |
| posted at: 14:39 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| The gazebo stands alone. |
| posted at: 13:54 | permanent link to this entry |
