Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Global Warming & Crab AuGratin

First, a bulletin from the global warming front lines here in the Colorado high country...snow for Memorial Day! Oh boy, it hasn't snowed in...three weeks! The last of the Driveway Drift, which at its peak was seven feet tall and completely blocked our driveway, finished melting THREE DAYS AGO!

I'd be happy to swap some of those cute damn penguins for a summer that lasts longer than a week!

I watched the Tom Selleck/Pobert Parker vehicle JESSE STONE: SEA CHANGE. I occasionally read the Jesse Stone novels, and I don't particularly like them. The idea of the protagonist, Jesse, carrying this lunatic torch for his ex, who was bopping most of the LA media community while they were married and who has the apparent IQ of a hamster with A.D.D., just grates on me. I had a relationship just like that...when I was 14. Hawk needs to show up from the Spencer novels and bitch-slap poor Jesse.

Anyhow, the movie is much better than the book. Selleck eliminates most, but not all, of the egregiously pathetic aspects of the Jesse Stone character. Watching the restaurant scenes, I recalled a waterfront restaurant when I lived out on the tip of Long Island, writing books through the long winters. I could barely afford to go there, but once a month I'd scrape up the pennies from the couch cushions and have crab augratin and a glass of the local Long Island white wine.

While I was pondering the restaurant menu, my Sweetie was pondering Tom Selleck..."Isn't there some kind of surgery you get?" she suggested to me. No, I said, but I have a gun just like Tom's — an S&W 1911 GUNSITE .45!!! Great, she said, not taking her eyes off the screen. So I cooked marinated wild-caught salmon, grilled asparagus and a salad of heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, red onions and fresh spiced mozzarella...and I still don't look like Tom Selleck. There is no God.

And yes, Don Worsham and friends...when/if we do a SHOOTING GALLERY training weekend here in Colorado, I'll cook for all of you! I'll even make deviled eggs, which will cause you all to weep with joy and renounce your evil ways. Either that or Mike Janich will create a masterful mixed grill of your body parts!

I would like to acknowledge the lastest Pew survey on Muslim attitudes in he U.S. (as well as globally). As quoted by the redoubtable and nonetheless cute Michelle Malkin:
The poll found that while 80 percent of U.S. Muslims believe suicide bombings of civilians to defend Islam cannot be justified, fully 13 percent said they can be justified, at least rarely. One in four younger American Muslims find suicide bombings in defense of Islam “acceptable at least in some circumstances.”

About 29 percent of those surveyed had either favorable views about al Qaeda or did not express an opinion. Yes, they either gave al Qaeda thumbs-up or had no opinion about the terrorist group responsible for slaughtering nearly 3,000 of their fellow Americans on 9/11 and responsible for a global bloodbath from Bali to Britain, the Middle East, and beyond.
Well, I certainly feel better! Not all American Muslims want to kill me...only 13%! And hey. almost a third either publically or privately have favorable views about al Qaeda, which also wants to kill me. Even though Jericho has been cancelled, I remain happy that I love upwind of Denver! Am Ms. Malkin notes:
A few fringe jihadists here, a few fringe jihadists there, and soon you’re talking about bloody real numbers.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The picture that still is burned in my mind from 9/11 is the our fine Islamic brothers dancing and handing out candy, not in Damascus or Tehran but in Patterson, NJ.

BTW My wife puts Tom Selleck and Sam Elliot in the Last Real Men on the Planet category.

Anonymous said...

Being a major fan of . . .deviled eggs, I have to ask, Michael, what is your recipe?

Michael Bane said...

Remember I got hosed last time I did recipes...although I ran into Bitchy Mom from thebitchgirls.us a while back who told me that my cranberry recipe is goign to be a Thanksgiving staple at the Bitch Household...so there!

I refer you to:

http://www.deviledeggs.com/

I will say categorically that I am not of the "soft gooey baby-food type" filling. Avoid the tragic TMM — too much mayo — or the urge to OVER-SMUSH the egg yokes. I have gone for finely chopped green peppers and/or finely chopped onions, plus a dash of cayenne or Emeril's Bayou Blast to perk things up. Always go with hot mustard.

You can get decent deviled eggs at the West End Tavern in downtown Boulder. Sit on the roof when it's not freakin' freezing...it's where me and Chalker always go when he's back in town from Over There...he likes the deviled eggs there, too.

mb