Published on
November 27, 2006 in
Geek.
This season, Hasbro is pushing their new Scrabble Game Folio, which is designed for travel: the gameboard sits inside a zip-up binder and the miniature tiles snap into place so that the game can easily support airplane turbulence and being packed up mid-game to be finished later. Kenny and I, having appreciated playing Scrabble at our B&B in Manarola after all of the tourist attractions closed, decided to pick one up for our trip to New Orleans.
While compact for a board game, it’s still a bit bulky, and I wouldn’t recommend it for international travel if you are trying to pack light. However, it was fabulous for the plane, and in general for a short domestic trip it seems to work great. We probably played 5 games of Scrabble during our various flights and layovers this week, and it certainly made the time go by faster. This was a godsend for me, since my laptop is out of commission awaiting a new motherboard.
I’m still not great at Scrabble, but definitely improving. I can usually get at least one “bingo” per game these days, and I’m working on memorizing all of the two-letter words (there are 5 new ones in the latest edition of the Scrabble dictionary. Kenny and I managed to use both “za” and “qi” in one game of Scrabble on Sunday :)). The short list of words that use Q but not U are also quite useful. I think we are getting to the point at which those who aren’t big geeks like us don’t enjoy playing with us anymore.
Kenny still beats me at Scrabble more that 50% of the time, but the scores are usually very close (they usually hover around 300 points each). If we continue to fly as much as we have in the past, we should both continue to improve over time. I’m just hoping that I can improve more than he does. ;)
Published on
November 26, 2006 in
Film.
I don’t watch very many movies. I think the last film I saw in the theatre was Thank You for Smoking (back in March or April, I believe), and Kenny and I don’t even rent enough films to warrant the smallest NetFlix package (fortunately, when we do get the urge to rent something, we can walk across the street to On 15th, usually armed with a 2-for-1 coupon from QFC).
Well, it seems that family visits often offer opportunities to catch up on movies, which we certainly did during our Thanksgiving week in Slidell. We watched 3 films that proved less than popular with their audiences (which changed with each film, but always included Kenny, his cousin David, and me):
- The Italian Job (the 1969 original, not the Marky Mark remake, which I actually found somewhat enjoyable, if brainless)
- Edmond
- Reefer Madness (the 2005 Showtime remake. This one is one of Gary and Lynn’s faves, due to its campy songs, but I was simply not in the mood for the killing spree at the end, especially right after watching Edmond.)
And one that we enjoyed a good deal: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, starring Val Kilmer and Robert Downey, Jr.
We also attempted to see Stranger than Fiction at the local Slidell cinema, but we left early into the film because the picture was out of focus and shaking (we tried to stick it out, but we were all getting headaches). Incidentally, David saw Stranger than Fiction after arriving home in New York and he enjoyed it, so maybe we should try to head out and see it in theatres rather than waiting for it to arrive at On 15th. :)
Published on
November 26, 2006 in
Food.
I’m sure Kenny will write a full-fledged review, and I’m not going to try to replace that. All I’m going to say is that if you ever have a chance to visit Drago’s Seafood in Metairie, Louisiana, do it. And make sure you order the charbroiled oysters (they churn out thousands of these every day).
I didn’t even think I liked oysters, but these were amazing. Although, I think just about anything cooked in that amount of butter, garlic, and parmesan cheese would be pretty amazing.
Published on
November 23, 2006 in
Food.
As promised, some photos of the trash can turkey…
It all starts with a stake in the ground.
Then the turkey gets impaled on the stake. I believe Gary injected this turkey with something yummy.
The trash can goes on top.
And then the hot coals go on top of (and around) the trash can.
The turkey “bakes” this way for a couple of hours. As with a conventional turkey recipe, the baking time depends on the size of the turkey.
The end result was delicious. It had a great smoky flavor that turkey usually lacks.
Published on
November 22, 2006 in
Travel.
The French Quarter has certainly recovered pretty well, but there were still many signs of the destruction that happened in August 2005.
Many establishments have signs like this, or “now hiring” signs.
Throw me something, FEMA.
One thing hasn’t changed: the daiquiris are still flowing.
Food!
Published on
November 21, 2006 in
Family.
Kenny’s dad and stepmom moved to Slidell, Louisiana (a suburb of New Orleans) about two years ago. Just after Hurricane Katrina, Kenny and I both wrote about their experiences during and in the aftermath of the disaster.
Kenny has been out to Slidell once to visit Gary and Lynn since Katrina, but I haven’t had the chance to visit yet (in fact I’ve never been to New Orleans at all). I’m excited to be making my first trip out there this week, for a Wolf clan Thanksgiving celebration (the entire Wolf clan consists of Kenny, his sisters, their father and stepmother, and an aunt and cousin, so it’s not too difficult to get them all together). It’s unfortunate that I never got to see pre-Katrina New Orleans, but in any case I’m glad to be going now and I’ll certainly have my camera with me.
Gary has promised to make us his famous “trash can turkey” (I’m sure Kenny or I will post the recipe in a few days, and I will be sure to post photos of the process) and we will be making the cranberry salsa that was such a big hit with my family in Los Angeles last year.
Published on
November 19, 2006 in
Geek.
I saw a car last night with a window sign that read “Honk if you scrapbook!”
Perhaps even more important (in my mind) than the question of whether or not the sign was an attempt by the car owner to be ironic, was how “scrapbook” acquired its status as a verb.
Discuss amongst yourselves.
Published on
November 10, 2006 in
Seattle.
Over on the slog, there’s a heated debate going on about which type of apple is the best. By my non-scientific count, honey crisps seem to be winning by a landslide. As if there was ever any real question about their superiority.
Published on
November 10, 2006 in
Seattle.
Kenny and I were fortunate to find an amazing Seattle wedding photographer named Rebecca Sullivan. She has showcased some highlights from our wedding in her portfolio on her website. To find us, click on “Celebrations,” and in the new window that pops up, scroll down to the album labeled “JOYOUS.”
In there you’ll also get a sneak peek at our cake (made by cake goddess Aimee at Hollyhock Cakes), our flowers (arranged by flower genius Julie at Bella Rugosa), and our band (the ever-entertaining HB Radke). We lucked out with some pretty awesome local vendors.
We actually have over 1200 photos from Rebecca on 4 DVDs. At some point I’ll get around to getting a set of highlights (hopefully around 150-200) up on this site. Before I get to that, we still need to finish writing thank you notes (almost done). ;)
Published on
November 7, 2006 in
Avalon.
Get .Net Framework 3.0 here.
