Adventures in My Mind

May 27, 2008

Am I the Only One ...

who is sick and fucking tired of Seth Rogen? And Judd Apatow?

I mean come on! Are there no other actors or filmmakers in Hollywood? I myself know several dozen who would be happy to have the chance to make the same movie over and over and have obscene amounts of money dropped on their heads. Hell, I'm one of them! I've got plenty of one trick pony potential!

Argh!

0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 10:36 AM

May 23, 2008

16 Military Wives - The Decemberists ... BRILLIANT!

I suppose I run the risk of being "un-american" by loving a video like this, but if you think that, may I suggest a subtle "shove it up your ass!"

Take your blind nationalism and Reichstag-burning dogma and sell it to someone who gives a shit. Your false machismo, adolescent insecurity, and contrived patriotism are flagrant reminders of the failed theory of might makes right.

Dissent is patriotic. In fact, American patriotism is born of dissent. When Jefferson, Madison and the gang gave George the First the big "vaffanculo!", they did so with love of country (their own country) in their hearts. They saw that things were not going in a way that best for them and their burgeoning home on this side of the Atlantic and they rebelled. The resisted. They dissented. And the world is better off for it. Amen.

And right now we are in need of some thoughtful dissent again. Our principles have been compromised. Our liberty has been curtailed. And our position in the world has been diminished by a slavish adherence to capitalism and ideology. The great Neo-Con experiment needs to be terminated.

Our liberty and freedom doesn't depend upon our (perceived)correctness and our ability to cram our will down the throats of the rest of the world. It depends upon our courageousness ... the courage to act responsibly; the courage to act wisely; and, above all, the courage to know that, more often than not, it is more courageous to avoid a fight than to start one.

0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 11:30 AM

A Real Foreign Policy, Not Just Rattling Sabres

Joe Biden refutes closet Republican Joe Lieberman's attempt to pat McCain, Bush, Cheney, et al on the back for the fine job they've done with our foreign policy over the last seven years.
Terrorism is a means, not an end, and very different groups and countries are using it toward very different goals. Messrs. Bush and McCain lump together, as a single threat, extremist groups and states more at odds with each other than with us: Sunnis and Shiites, Persians and Arabs, Iraq and Iran, al Qaeda and Shiite militias. If they can't identify the enemy or describe the war we're fighting, it's difficult to see how we will win.

With John McSame not knowing Shiites from Sunnis and Al Queda from the Mehdi Army, how are we to expect different results from another Republican administration.

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0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 11:09 AM

May 9, 2008

Belgium Comes to a Tree-Lined Pittsburgh Street

Sami and I went out last night for a rare parents-only getaway. It was a nice quiet evening that, although way too short, led us to an out of the way place favored by one Sami's friends. Stuck right in the residential heart of Point Breeze, Point Brugge Cafe is a nice little place to go. It boasts a small, but packed full of flavor menu and popularity among the more discerning dinner crowd. The Thursday night crowd buzzed quite a bit and lined up 2 deep at the bar at one point.

Serving a wide variety of Belgian beers and wines from around the world, the drink menu is much more expansive than the dinner choices. The wines are available both by the glass and the bottle. Sami chose a glass each of the Peter Lehmann Shiraz and the Airlie Pinot Noir. I stuck to the beer menu and had a Lindemans Framboise, a raspberry lambic that is expensive at $10 a bottle but worth every penny!

For our meal we stuck with a few small plate favorites, including a cheese board with grilled fennel rubbed sausage, macaroni gratin, and their famed twice-cooked Brugge Frites. We followed that with a shared Cafe Chicken sandwich that ended the meal quite nicely.

The cheese board included several cheeses I've never had but went very well with the accompanying walnuts and apples. It also included a couple of cheeses I don't much care for: Chevre and Maytag Bleu. There was a mustard cheese with mustard seed in it that was an excellent match for grilled sausage.

And for more cheese (I love cheese!)The Macaroni Gratin was the best mac & cheese this little Pittsburgh boy has ever had. With a blend of gruyere, parmesan, and cheddar; it was toppped with grated cheese, bread crumbs, parsley and baked until golden brown. It may speak to simple tastes, but the gratin was by itself reason enough for the trip.

The Brugge Frites are a true French/Belgian delight. First parcooked at a low temperature and then quickly cooked at a high temperature these French Fries are related in name only to the ones served at your local McD or greasy spoon. The frittes are served with a very continental basil mayo that was bursting with fresh basil flavor.

After looking at several of the delicious sounding entrees we settled on splitting the Cafe Chicken sandwich with fresh mozarella, roasted red peppers, romaine lettuce, and more basil mayo. It included a mixed green salad tossed in the house lemon vinaigrette. By this time we were pretty full so half of the sandwich now sits in th fridge.

The only drawback I experienced was the clientelle: a mix of older professionals and younger yuppies, few of whom I would've wanted to share my table with. And given the small space and necessary intimacy I felt as though I was indeed sharing my table with them. But I suppose the perceived pretension was in keeping with the Belgian inspired menu. A menu that I want to explore more on future visits.

Entrees like Steak Frittes, a traditional bistro favorite of steak and fries, and Carbonnade Flamande, beer-braised beef, warrant more of my time. The specials included a pan seared yellow tail tuna served over mushrooom fennel couscous that sounded fantastic.

The house favorite is clearly the Moules or Mussels. The wait staff carried plate after plate from the kitchen. Diners have the choice of three delicious sounding sauces that are served with a delicious crusty bagette bread. I'm not a fan of mussels, but watching those huge piles of beautiful black shells being set on surrounding tables almost made me want some. Such is the power of suggestion!

Check out Point Brugge Cafe the next time you're looking for a good drink and an inspired Belgian style menu.

Point Brugge Cafe
401 Hasting St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
412-441-3334

0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 12:12 PM

May 7, 2008

Let Them Eat (Wedding) Cake

At press conference called by the First Lady Laura Bush, the subject digressed from the devastation in Myanmar - the ostensible reason for the whole thing - to the much more urgent topic of Jenna Bush's upcoming marriage.

I wonder if we can get some more footage of W. (Nero) dancing (fiddling). How much is a barrell of oil now?

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0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 11:35 AM