Yikes!

you know you're gonna hear somthing good when...

...someone starts a sentence with, "Speaking of Yo-Yo Ma..."

Procession

I'm fascinated by funeral processions.

I don't mean the processional of people leaving a funeral chapel.

I mean the procession of cars on city streets or highways, following a hearse, accompanied by cops.

There's something that draws me to these slow-speed chases down the streets of LA. Dozens of cars and cops (usually on motorcycles) following a dead body riding in the back of a ridiculous looking car. Hearses aren't really limos, and they aren't station wagons or pick-up trucks. They're like El Caminos for dead people.

Hebrew Word of the Day

A few weeks ago, a NY Times article about the Annapolis conference contained this gem:

The long buildup to Annapolis, together with Ms. Rice's many trips to the region, have given birth to a new verb in Israeli government circles: ''lecondel,'' meaning, to come and go for meetings that produce few results. The word is based on Ms. Rice's first name.

I love Hebrew.

Bass-Ackwards Environmentalism?

Tonight they lit the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. The press is making a big deal about the fact that this year it's a "green" tree that is less environmentally wasteful. It uses less electricity to light, and its powered by solar panels, and the tree's wood won't be wasted. As the AP reports:

Organizers are planning to recycle the tree by using it as lumber for Habitat For Humanity projects in New York, the Gulf Coast, India and Brazil.

No word on the amount of fossil fuel required to ship lumber from a giant Christmas tree from New York to India and Brazil.

Zionist Ideology at Panda Express

We brought in Chinese food from Panda Express today for lunch.

As I was finishing my meal, I opened my fortune cookie and found the above fortune inside.

Theodor Herzl isn't dead. He's secretly working for Panda Express, writing fortunes for their fortune cookies.

[Cross posted to TAPBB.}

jetblue rocks

I'm sitting on a plane about to take off, and I'm watching the Bears game. This is awesome. Of course, it would be more awesome if the Bears didn't suck. But it's still awesome.

Nice Airport, Disgusting Passengers

I'm sitting here in the JetBlue terminal at the Long Beach airport, waiting for my flight to Chicago for Thanksgiving.

(I'm usually a pretty loyal American Airlines customer, but JetBlue was way cheaper this time, so here I am.)

It's a very nice airport. Parking was a breeze. Checking bags and getting through security was a breeze. We even got exit-row seats on the plane. And they have free wireless internet access on the plane. Note to other airlines: Offering your passengers free access -- instead of crappy $5/second through t-Mobile NotSpot or something like that -- is a great way to keep people pretty damn happy. It's not like providing free internet is that big of a cost in the greater scheme of airline economics. And there can't be that many people who actually pony up the $900 for eleven minutes of checking their email.

So the airport experience has been pretty good thus far, with one exception: the guy sitting next to me. Now, I would get up, except for that I'm sitting here with Sara and Mike and Erin, who are all perfectly happy to be sitting right here. Also, I have a very comfortable seat on a couch next to an outlet (in the back of the room at Gate 3, if you're familiar).

Sitting on my left (he can't read my screen because his bag is between us) is this very disgusting man. I was first introduced to him when I came back from the bathroom. I had left my bag on my seat (Mike is sitting on the other side of me and could watch my stuff), and when I came back, this other guy had sat down next to my seat, spreading his giant computer bag and his big leather jacket and his plug running right across my seat. This one guy -- who isn't obese or anything -- was taking up almost four seats of prime terminal real estate next to a big bank of electric outlets.

He just kind of looks at me as I look down at my bag. Finally, I say, "Would you mind moving your stuff so I can sit back down." He makes this look like I've just asked him shove a hot coal up his own ass.

I finally sit down, plug my own laptop in, and begin reading the news online and browsing through my email.

The entire time, this ass hole is sitting next to me burping loudly. Then he starts coughing all over the place, not covering his mouth. Then he starts farting. Far be it from me to criticize a person for having loud or profuse bodily noises. The problem is that this guy is sitting in a public terminal in an airport, in close proximity to many people. This has been a very disgusting last twenty minutes.

Southwest Chicken Salad

This is my recipe for a chopped, Southwest-inspired salad. I've been making it for awhile, but I finally think I've tweaked it to the point where I can share it. I served it on Saturday at Dan's birthday, and people seemed to like it.

Ingredients:

• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 limes, zested and juiced
• 2 cups lite mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 bunch cilantro, loosely chopped (optional)
• 1 chipotle pepper, minced (optional)
• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce, (optional)
• 1 can beer, something cheap and light-colored
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

Start by making the marinade/dressing. In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, lime zest, lime juice, cayenne, cumin, ground coriander, pepper, salt, chipotle and adobo sauce. Whisk until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil while whisking.

Take half the marinade/dressing and put it in its own bowl. Add the raw chicken and coat with the sauce. If you have time, refrigerate over night. (Reserve the rest of the dressing in a raw-chicken-free zone. It will eventually be the dressing on the salad.)

In a skillet, brown the chicken on each side over medium heat. Then, add the can of beer and any remaining marinade from the chicken's bowl. Cover, and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes (or until the chicken is cooked through).

Remove the chicken from the skillet. When its cool enough to handle, chop or tear the breasts into small chunks.

Combine the chopped chicken, corn, black beans, chopped green pepper, chopped red pepper, and the chopped red onion in a large serving bowl. Pour on the remaining marinade/dressing (the half that didn't come into contact with the raw chicken) and mix well.

I've served this salad over Spanish-style rice (that's how Rena likes it), with tortilla chips to scoop (that's how Uri likes it), or on its own.

For a vegetarian option, leave the chicken out.