popplers

Nutbunnies!

A few weeks ago, I was listening to NPR's Sunday Puzzle segment with Will Shortz. Will was talking about the upcoming American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Stamford, CT, and he said that this year's competition would feature a "Sudoku Smackdown", a special screening of Wordplay (the new feature documentary on the 2005 American Crossword Puzzle Tournament), and special guest host Ken Jennings. Finally, a chance to meet the man himself (without being labeled a stalker!)… There's a Friday night trivia challenge, where you can match wits with Ken; he's also going to present the awards on Sunday.

I've wanted to go to the tournament for a while now, and last year's win by RPI undergrad Tyler Hinman only made me more eager to compete. (After trying my hand at the sample puzzles, I am more than a little worried that I'm going to get my ass handed to me.)

Unfortunately, I just realized that the Tournament is the same weekend as I-CON 25, a very cool multi-genre convention in Stony Brook, NY: SF/F, horror, anime, science and technology, comic books, gaming, and more. My inner geek is torn, but I think I'd rather try my hand at the crossword puzzles.

Lewd Avatar Synchrony*

I am happy to say that I've finally completed my anagram T map. All lines have been anagrammed, including the Silver Line and Commuter Rail, and there are lots of other jumbled goodies in the margins. (Check out the map legend, too.) The PDF version of the map is great— lots of details and nearly infinite zoom capability. But the PNG version on Flickr captures most of the info. Enjoy.

* Charlestown Navy Yard

Hochiwichi

It looks like a muppet, but it's apparently a baby hedgehog from Hamor Hollow. Thanks, Cute Overload!

The coolest part is that you can go visit them (they're in Haverhill, MA). I think a road trip may be in order… What could be better than seeing cute little beasties and visiting the Tap Brewpub for a nice Nut Brown afterward?

More Books about Buildings and Food

This weekend, I finally started Ruth Reichl's Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table. I've read a few chapters, and so far I like it more than Comfort Me with Apples (although that really isn't saying much). Tender at the Bone is a memoir, telling the story of Ruth's childhood culinary influences; I've just reached the part where she is sent to a French-speaking boarding school in Montreal. (It actually preceded Comfort Me with Apples— I just happened to read them out-of-order.)

The same person who loaned me Tender at the Bone also loaned me Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. Just now, I opened to a random chapter in the middle of the book, read a few pages, and I am hooked. Bourdain on the three types of line cooks: Artists, Exiles, and Mercenaries (those who "do it for cash and do it well"):

Practicing your craft in expert fashion is noble, honorable, and satisfying. And I'll generally take a stand-up mercenary who takes pride in his professionalism over an artist any day. When I hear 'artist', I think of someone who doesn't think it necessary to show up at work on time. More often than not their efforts, convinced as they are of their own genius, are geared more to giving themselves a hard-on than satisfying the great majority of dinner customers. Personally, I'd prefer to eat food that tastes good and is an honest reflection of its ingredients, than a 3-foot-tall caprice constructed from lemon grass, lawn trimmings, coconuts and red curry. You could lose an eye trying to eat that. When a job applicant starts telling me how Pacific Rim-job cuisine turns him on and inspires him, I see trouble coming. Send me another Mexican dishwasher anytime. I can teach him to cook. I can't teach character. Show up at work on time six months in a row and we'll talk about red curry paste and lemon grass. Until then, I have four words for you: 'Shut the fuck up.'

Next Stop Low Nerd DNA

Inspired by Boing Boing's recent posts on Anagram Transit Maps, I've taken some of the names from Analog Kid's Orange Line Anagram Map and started putting together a complete MBTA map. So far, I've finished the Red Line and the Blue Line. Still working on: Green Line, Silver Line, and Commuter Rail. I hope to finish one more line today.

Mad Props to Wordsmith.org's Internet Anagram Server (I, Rearrangement Servant).

To the Justice-Mobile!

Cheryl related the following story to me this morning. This week is school vacation week, and she allowed the kids to stay up late to watch the Olympics. She heard her son, Rohan, hop out of bed, turn off the TV, go to the bathroom, and get back into bed. Some time later, she awoke and went into his room to make sure that he was tucked in and comfy. Instead, she found his large stuffed snake arranged in bed and covered up with blankets so as to resemble a sleeping boy. (Have the kids been watching Escape from Alcatraz?)

Rohan was downstairs, in front of the computer, playing City of Heroes at 1:00AM. The kids are only allowed to play online when there is a parent in the room, but Dad's password was apparently easy enough for a 7-year-old to figure out and he figured Mom would be unconscious 'til morning. No moral to the story, really… just that kids can be sneaky and CoH is addictive (but we already knew that).

Word Freaks

The Boston Globe has a nice feature on the Lexington Scrabble Club. I haven't gone in well over a year, but it's nice to see that "the regulars" are still there. I know that I've played against Trix before:

This is ''Competitive" Scrabble, where players are penalized for excessive pondering. Twenty-five minutes are allotted to make their moves for the entire game; for each additional minute used, they lose 10 points.

Trix Kout, an ''over 50" Scrabbler from Watertown, said she likes using the timers ''because the games don't drag on."

A flutist and teacher at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Kout has been playing at the Lexington club for three years. She likes the eclectic crowd -- from marketing executives to contractors to physicians -- and the good balance of males and females.

''During the tournaments, the guys are very intense," she says.

More useful stuff for Scrabble fans: Mike Wolfberg's Word Lists, including all the new two-letter words and threes (first half, second half).

And now for something completely different

Airing on PBS, starting on February 22^nd: Monty Python's Personal Best, a 6-episode special wherein each member of the troupe picked out his favorite sketches. (Cleese, Gilliam, Idle, Jones, and Palin collaborated on the episode for Graham Chapman.) Eric Idle's Personal Best airs Wednesday at 9 p.m., followed immediately by Graham Chapman's. Thanks, WGBH!

John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin and Terry Jones share their favorite memories of Chapman, who died on October 4, 1989, at the age of 48. A licensed doctor, Chapman traded in his stethoscope to pursue a career in comedy. His funniest sketches usually showed him playing straitlaced characters or daft middle-aged women. He may be best remembered as the uptight Colonel. Other sketches included are the solo wrestler, the accountant who decides he wants to be a lion tamer and the middle-aged couple who invite John Cleese into their living room to make a documentary about the sex lives of mollusks. Chapman also appears in such memorable Monty Python sketches as the bury-the-cat skit, the dead parrot, Spam Restaurant and the pantomime horse as a secret agent. The Ministry of Silly Walks is classic Python. Though Chapman is gone, he will be remembered for his brilliant contributions to this legendary comedy troupe.

Poetry in motion

After reading the A.V. Club's TiVo This Now! feature, we recorded an episode of Peep and the Big Wide World, a show that endeavours to teach science to preschoolers. It stars a spherical yellow chick (Peep), a round red robin (Chirp), and a duck that resembles an eggplant (Quack). I love the simple animation style, and it's narrated by Joan Cusack, with a theme song by Taj Mahal. Never before has science been so cute.

What a difference a day makes

I am happy (and relieved) to report that tonight's turn-out for Fourth Wall was much better. Much larger audience, more laughs… and no one leaving after the first act… let's hope that they're all like tonight's crowd.

At least opening night wasn't a complete fiasco.

Quote of the Day

From Joss Whedon, in the aforementioned Comments thread:

# Joss Whedon Says:
February 16th, 2006 at 7:29 pm

Wow, we both went right to the cross-dressing humor! This is just like the Algonquin round table, except there's only two of us, and no table, and no particular surfeit of wit, and no great certainty about how spell ‘Algonquin’. Huzzah!

I, for one, salute our Giant Penguin Overlords

Schoolkids discover cool fossil:

[…] The remains were found last month near Kawhia and are thought to be 40 million years old.

Experts think it may be the finest example of the long-extinct bird found. They say the Kawhia giant dwarfed the huge emperor penguin, and had it lived today would have looked many men in the eye. […]

Firefly quickies!

• Your Ultimate Sci-Fi Profile II: which sci-fi crew would you best fit in?
• Excellent fan-made t-shirts from Black Market Beagles: I love the Little Damn Heroes series.

Bonus items for Buffy Joss Whedon fans:

• If Joss Whedon directed Peanuts…
  
• Hilarious back-and-forth discussion between Joss and Warren Ellis re: Comicon (Nerd prom). Read through the comments for gems like this:

  Joss Whedon Says:
  February 16th, 2006 at 12:39 am
  

  Who is this Ellis guy anyway? He thinks he all that cuz he wroted "Planety". The facts is, KomiKon is AWESOME becuz people dress up like stuff — but nobody dresses like Warner Ellis, I guess, mister sour grapes. I talked to Sumner Glou and she said nobody ever mailed her body parts except for one time an arm and then a messenger brought her a thyroid gland but big deal, SERENDIPITY fans happen to be the most tastefullest fans who have extra or redundant body parts. […]

Don't you worry 'bout me!

Homeland Security: protecting you from pornography and infringing upon your civil liberties:

Two uniformed men strolled into the main room of the Little Falls library in Bethesda one day last week and demanded the attention of all patrons using the computers. Then they made their announcement: The viewing of Internet pornography was forbidden.

The men looked stern and wore baseball caps emblazoned with the words "Homeland Security." The bizarre scene unfolded Feb. 9, leaving some residents confused and forcing county officials to explain how employees assigned to protect county buildings against terrorists came to see it as their job to police the viewing of pornography. […]

Listened to this I drove to work this morning: Don't Worry About The Government.

[…] I see the states, across this big nation
I see the laws made in Washington, D.C.
I think of the ones I consider my favorites
I think of the people that are working for me

Some civil servants are just like my loved ones
They work so hard and they try to be strong
I'm a lucky guy to live in my building
They own the buildings to help them along […]

A moment of silence for Bert the Turtle

I just read that Ray Mauer died. He wrote the script for the 1951 film Duck and Cover, featuring Bert the Turtle and a passel of kids diving below their desks during an atomic attack. CONELRAD.COM offers some excellent background info, including the production history and a 2003 interview with Mr. Mauer.

He apparently lived in Stratford, CT, where I grew up, and died in Bridgeport Hospital, where I was born. I'm James Burke, and this is Connections.

I want candy!

Via Boing Boing: Chocolate bullets for your Russian Roulette-playing pleasure…

Seated in individual compartments, twelve chocolate bullets lay waiting to be bitten into. Although eleven of the sweet little slugs contain delicious praline centres, one conceals a seriously red hot chilli that's guaranteed to blow your head off - metaphorically, at least.

Why didn't they post this last week?! I so would have bought one for Chris. The ad copy describes the product as "Willy Wonka meets the Deer Hunter!"

And all the men and women, merely players

This is it. Tonight was our last rehearsal. In the words of our ever-lovin' director: All we need now is an audience. (We're off tomorrow night, and we open on Friday at 8 p.m.)

The Misfits proudly present A. R. Gurney's The Fourth Wall:

Acme Theatre
61 Summer Street
Maynard, MA 01754

Box Office: 978-823-0003

February 17 - March 11, 2006
Friday and Saturday performances begin at 8 p.m. and
Sunday, March 5th performance begins at 3 p.m.

I found a New York Times theatre review of a 1992 performance at Westport Country Playhouse. (It's less than glowing.) Gurney has updated the play several times since then, and I hope you'll all come to see our version of it. I think it's very funny, but as the stage manager, I'm probably biased.

Yep, I'm going to hell:

I laughed at a man's suicide attempt today.

Lt. Pierre Boucher said the man took two pieces of wood, nailed them together in the form of a cross and placed them on the floor. He attached a suicide sign to the wood and then proceeded to nail one of his hands to the makeshift cross using a 14-penny nail and a hammer.

"When he realized that he was unable to nail his other hand to the board, he called 911," Boucher said.

Colinus virginianus

As you would expect, lots of late-night comics have had a shot at Cheney, now that he's had a shot at Whittington. I particularly liked this comment from Jon Stewart:

"Yes, as you've just heard, a near-tragedy over the weekend in south Texas. Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot a man during a quail hunt at a political supporter's ranch. Making 78-year-old Harry Whittington the first person shot by a sitting VP since Alexander Hamilton.

"Hamilton, of course, shot in a duel with Aaron Burr over issues of honor, integrity and political maneuvering. Whittington? Mistaken for a bird."

I guess I'm not the only one who shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die.

Valentine's Day quickies!

• From the fine(?) folks at Something Awful, Star Wars valentines for your inner geek.
• Etiquette for stalkers: no refunds.
• Lileks on thongs. ('Nuff said.)

Intimate Apparel

On Thursday night, we had a quick dinner at the Mambo Grill, then went to see the Merrimack Repertory production of Intimate Apparel. I particularly like going to the first Thursday previews because there's a Q&A session afterward with people involved in the show (in this case, the director, lighting designer, and set designer). Intimate Apparel tells the story of Esther, a skilled African-American seamstress who makes a life for herself in 1905 Manhattan.

The play takes place in five different locations. With something like 25 set changes, the director wanted to convey the change in setting without having to move any furniture, which is time-consuming and slows down the action. All of the changes in setting were accomplished solely through lighting and an "origami quilt." For example, during the scenes in Esther's room in the boarding house, the bed is covered by a crazy quilt. When the action changes to Ms. Van Buren's boudoir, the actors fold the quilt back, revealing a lilac satin cover. For scenes in Mr. Marks' shop, the quilt is folded back in the opposite direction, revealing a plain, almost muslin-like fabric. The lighting changes were incredible— I can't even describe the cool stuff that they did to have light coming from different "windows" for each scene.

(This CenterStage student study guide (PDF) has an interview with Ms. Nottage and some historical notes.)

What a crock.

Went to a fun Super Bowl party. Watched the game (and the commercials) and ate lots of unhealthy snacky food. I particularly enjoyed the "puppy chow" and the tater-tot casserole. We made spinach dip and a veggie platter. Because we didn't know how much vegetarian-friendly food there would be at the party, we also made yummy artichoke dip.

This recipe is from Cleveland's Great Lakes Brewing Co. One of our local free newspapers printed it some time ago, and I'm adding it here because I can't seem to find it on any of the usual recipe websites.

Great Lakes Brewing Co. Artichoke Crock

2 (12 oz.) jars artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 small red pepper, diced
1.5 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup banana pepper rings (hot), chopped
1 tbsp. chopped garlic
1 tsp. (or more) hot pepper flakes
cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Divide mixture evenly between 2 (16 oz.) oven-proof dishes. Bake for 25 minutes and serve with hearty bread.

Lord of the Rings: the smackdown of the fellowship of the ring

Went to Cheryl and Mike's last night for gaming/ nominal celebration of Chinese New Year (with Indian food and snacks of many nations)/ general merriment & beer. We played Settlers (I won!) and Lord of the Rings (we all lost!). It was our first time playing LotR, and I did a little searching after the fact to see what other players thought of the game mechanics, difficulty level, and recommended strategies.

(Along the way, I found Defective Yeti's rave for Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation, a two-player game from Fantasy Flight Games that:

[…] has a third of the rules of the bigger game, plays in a fraction of the time and sells for half the price. But the two games do share one thing in common: they are both amongst the best in my collection. […]

So that sounds like a potential gift idea for next year.)

Due to link rot, it seems that the Yeti's review for the original LotR game is only available as a Google cache, but it's recommended reading nonetheless. He confirmed that the game is really hard (they had to play it five times before they won), but that it is possible to win. His obvious love of the game convinced me that I need to try it at least a few more times before writing it off completely.

They are making plans that have far-reaching effects

Music quickies!

• There was a great need for beer. And Buffalo wings. It was one of those weeks. Went to the Sit'n Bull and saw The Band That Time Forgot. Celebrated Tito's birthday. Fulfilled the aforementioned need for beer and wings: Mission accomplished.
  
• I like Beth Orton. The video for her new song, Conceived, is sweet (but would be ever so much better with real Muppets). Most of the animals look a little wrong, like taxidermied Muppets (especially the deer!). I think it's because the eyes aren't quite right. The mole rocks, though.
  
• Empirical proof: even if you've had a really bad week, you will feel better if you put The Name of This Band is Talking Heads in your car's CD player, especially if you crank up the volume during Pulled Up and/or The Girls Want To Be With The Girls. That is all.

Crazy Mummenschanz man

This was a Christmas present from Sean, and we've been burning through the episodes. We got the 4-DVD set a week ago, and we're watching the last episode (with special guest: The Mummenschanz) right now. The Muppet Show rocks!

Take a moment and watch this classic bit from the first episode of the first season: the infectious Mahna Mahna.

Mahna Mahna

Du doo du doo du