The Ironic Mullet :: Lee Ann Westover

How long before we see these at N 7th and Bedford?

This may be my new ACID WATCH!!

 

Via Gertie's AWESOME [Blog for Better Sewing]
 

OW! Wombs everywhere are aching.

Christmas Wishing.

What do you want for Christmas? Link in comments if you care to...

Hello my cute head with this on it:

 

VieModerne on Etsy

Hello my little friend who gives me quickbread and beef burgundy:

At Target online

This shiz is even pre-junior high for me:

Diesel Boots

I kindof collect this edition of the Oz Books:

At Poor Man's Books

More to come for sure...

White Knuckles: Driving in Southern Italy

A few years ago, my bf and I spent a couple of weeks driving around Ireland. I still consider it an adventure on parallel with daily skydiving. One gets used to it, I expect, but that doesn't make it less...exciting. The Irish enjoy their tiny luxury cars, and they enjoy speed. They also enjoy careening down ancient, narrow roads bordered by craggy stone walls and/or nausea-inducing cliffs. Now and then, they enjoy putting a stone wall next to a 90 degree turn next to a sign stating "Speed Limit: 180 km/hr".

Even with all the...excitement,I came away with the feeling that I had found the ultimate way to travel. We had all the freedom we wanted to pull over and examine prehistoric structures, seek out abandoned monasteries, and track fairies through the twists and turns of a misty creek. (really!) 

Our phat wheels again--->

Italians have a reputation for being crazy drivers as well (don't email me about that statement until you finish the article), but I felt that our experience driving in Ireland coupled with our regular expeditions into Manhattan at unfortunate hours took away most of the fear I had about traveling by car in Italy. At it's worst, it would still be pretty wonderful. In that area of the world, it's also necessary (if you have outgrown the backpacking scene). Public transportation is limited, and tends to run on the personal schedule of those holding the bus keys.

I did a fair amount of reading before leaving NYC. Slow-Trav.com hosts an enormously helpful page that links several extremely informative documents covering the nuts and bolts of Italian car travel. You can read all about signage, etiquette, "The Italian Straddle" and insurance.

I would recommend reading through all the articles you can find. In the event that so many words make you anxious, here is a short list of some important points I think you'll need to be aware of.

1)You'll need an International Driving Permit! I only saw this information written out once, so heed well my advice. The IDP is available both my mail and in person from AAA. If you apply by mail, all you need to do is mail in an application. Include a copy of your license and a check for $15 and 2 passport photos. Give it about 8 weeks to arrive, i understand. If you go into your local office, all you need is you license and a credit card. They will take care of the rest! Read this for more about the IDP.

Italian mini-mart--->

2) Get a bigger car than you think you need - unless you already have experience driving in Europe. The Europeans like to speed around in tiny cars. They also have tiny parking spaces, and quite often, tiny roads. When you rent an economy car, you are renting a teeny tiny tin can with (more than likely) 4 wheels, no A/C and standard transmission. We rented a 'standard' size car. Before leaving the country, my parents and I had a heart-to-heart about luggage. We allowed ourselves only one carry-on sized suitcase and a medium sized carry on. Four people, four small suitcases and four carry-ons fit EXACTLY into our BMW 300 series with standard transmission and A/C. For 1o days, we spent about $1000 including one extra driver and theft insurance (Budget.com)...which leads me to... (click through for more of my hilarious antics)

Italia: Where to begin

I've just spent almost two weeks in Italy, and I can't say I am very happy to be home. I don't want to live there on a permanent basis, but I really think I could've really made something out of an extra couple of months.

Phat rental car with Vesuvius in the background. I learned to heart Italian mini-marts. --->

Many of you know I have inexorably linked myself to Italy. I don't have a drop of Roman blood in my veins, but I drank a lot of wine ... ahem... I studied the language and culture in college. I went so far as to party...ahem...study abroad for six months - becoming somewhat fluent during that time. Now, I have a longstanding deal with myself that I will return every 2 years or so to eat and nap. Or rather...to keep up my language skills. 

This time around, I picked the itinerary out of a mental grab bag. I had a few parameters to work around: After having taken a driving vacation in Ireland, I knew I wanted to try a driving vacation in Italy. I haven't spend tons of time in the southern part of the country, and a car seemed like the best way to discover the most hidden corners. My parents were coming along, and my father really wanted to rent a house for a week as a home base.

After weeks of back and forth, we found a villa in Puglia (the heel of the boot) that tripped our light fandango. In the off season, the price was reasonable for fairly glamorous lodgings. (1000 Euro, 5 km from the sea at the center of a tiny, one-horse town).

I had pondered flying into Naples, but that would require a further 3 hours either in the airport or in flight. We decided that those three hours would be better spent in a car, so we flew to Rome. In my reading and Googling, I came across a listing for a gorgeous agriturismo (small, working farm with guest rooms and food) on top of the ridge that overlooks the shores of the Sorrentine Peninsula. 

The house was *supposedly* a 6 hour drive from the agriturismo, so a stop would be in order. I fancy a bit of driving, but I do NOT fancy spending an entire day in a car when I am supposed to be chilling to the max. Matera, in Basilicata (the arch of the foot of the booot), was rumored to be hospitable and stunning, so we arranged a stopover there.

<---Lemonade cart on the Amalfi Coast

We couldn't fly into Rome and not take time to see any of it, so we booked flights that left us two nights in a hotel in Trastevere at the tail end of the trip.

September is a busy month in New York, what will everyone heading back to work after the summer doldrums. We settled on 12 days at the end of October. The season would be long over (lordy how I dislike crowds) but the weather down there is dominated by the Sol Leone - the Lion Sun. In that it would be an improvement on home. 

I have no idea how I'll organize this chronicle, but all through the trip, I thought about how much I wanted to share it with you. I'll do my best just to charge in...

Italy Ahoy!!

Yum Yum Yum!

Courtesy of Jaime

Gummi Surprise!

 

 Via [Boing Boing]

Kid after my own heart

via [Hey Okay]

I love the internet.

Bella Panzanella: Eating the Last Traces of Summer

In my New York City, Saturday mornings mean a trip to a Farmer's Market. Although it's hard to imagine while gawking at Times Square, rich farmland surrounds us. It may be even harder to imagine, but once you get past the industrial ring of northern New Jersey, the rest of the New Jersey looks a bit like Ohio - long flat plains bursting with corn and tomatoes all summer long.

NYC Greenmarkets are set up in neighborhoods all over the five boroughs. The biggest and fanciest takes place in Union Square on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. My personal favorite is in McCarren Park - right between Williamsburg and Greenpoint Brooklyn. It's just a few minutes drive from my house in Queens, and it usually works its way into the trajectory of whatever I am up to on a Saturday morning.

I am always sporting a low-level craving for the cool, chewy goodness that is Panzanella - Italian bread salad. To satiate said craving, this Saturday I picked up 5 fresh Jersey roma tomatoes, fresh parsley (both seasonal) anda loaf of olive-semolina Italian bread at the Greenmarket...plus some celery and garlic from the deli.

5 awesome fresh tomatoes
2 stalks celery
1/2 C fresh parsley
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt
pepper
Any other herb you like - rosemary, basil are both good candidates

Step the first is to roughly chop the tomatoes, place them in a bowl and toss them with a teaspoon of salt. The salt will start drawing out the tomato juices as you complete the other steps.

Take a moment to look through the fridge for inspiration. This is definitely a dish you can improvise. Panzanella can be made with almost anything, and is an excellent use for leftovers. I often have eaten it with red onions and fresh basil.

While the juice is seeping out of the 'maters, cut the bread into 1" cubes, and spread the cubes out on a cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven.

To the tomatoes, I added 2 stalks of diced celery, 1/2 cup of chopped parsley and a decimated clove of raw garlic. I also added a few tablespoons of olive oil, the same of balsamic vinegar and a ton of fresh pepper.

After about 10 minutes, the cubes should be about the right consistency - that of day-old bread. The juice in the tomato bowl should be collecting nicely. There should be about 1/2 C of liquid.

Once the bread is dry and almost crunchy on the outside, all that's left to do is toss it with the tomato mixture and help yourself. The bread soaks up the juice, becoming flavorful and decadent. The Jersey tomatoes in my case brought a snap of cold freshness.

Think of it as a sandwich in a bowl!!

DEAR GOD.

via [Jezebel]