Author Archives: j

woefully inadequate

my posts of late are nonexistent. that’s bad. that means that i don’t have enough free time to fart around on the web and post creative thoughts. so here’s what i’ve been up to:

  • looking for apartments on the westside (i.e., santa monica north of wilshire and potentially north of montana) or brentwood. it’s hard to even look when we have such a kick-ass landlord…nothing seems good enough
  • it’s pride weekend so i’m trying my best to get home with the least amount of grief and trying to sleep while gay pride is shouted from rooftops and hotel balconies. don’t get me wrong, i love me some pride, but i also love me some sleep and i despise loud drunk people of any shape, size or sexuality. i’m glad you’re out and proud. i’m out and proud everyday so don’t think i’m a killjoy just because i don’t run around naked during the pride parade
  • i’m *not* taking pictures. travesty! must take pictures…this is supposed to be a blog after all. right now, it’s just a lot of text
  • which leads me to…we are going away to palm springs for 5 days and 4 nights. renting a house. can’t wait to absorb some heat and mid-century modern architecture and more out and proud types
  • i’m reading “the best american spiritual writing: 2008.” more specifically, i’m reading paul elie’s “a man for all reasons” which was published in the atlantic monthly.
  • and now, at this exact moment, i’m publishing this post and getting on with some laundry, work, and other domestic tasks

don’t leave home without it

m says i carry too much stuff…except for when i have something she needs and then i carry juuuuust the right amount. here is what i never leave home without (not in any particular order…well, maybe a bit of order):

  • blackberry…of course
  • keys…second…of course
  • purell…of…oh, ok, i’ll stop
  • chapstick (chapstick brand. mint. has to be mint.)
  • floss
  • pen, preferably a pretentious one of the fountain variety
  • various OTC remedies
  • ponytail holder
  • iPod shuffle and blackberry earbuds
  • canon powershot 790 IS
  • carabiner (one of the world’s most useful items)
  • bottle of water
  • jacket
  • dpoa (the one item that makes me uber-prepared)

let the cake speak for itself

ever since dainties, i have become a cupcake fanatic. and i don’t even like sweets. sadly, dainties disappeared (although, per the owner, you can still place an order for them as long as you order at least 72…72?!?). you can also find dainties on the web here and here.

because of dainties and the disappearance of said cupcake, i now sample various cupcakes around LA as i discover them. on a recent trip to larchmont village (coincidentally, the dainties chef/owner recommended larchmont village pizza to me), i not only discovered excellent pizza (more on that later), but i also discovered crumbs.

crumbs is $0.75 cents more expensive and 33% smaller than dainties and, except for 2 flavors, lacks the ganache that i’ve become so madly passionate about. the only cupcakes with ganache are the chocolate cake hostess (duh!) and the new chocolate cake madison (which has raspberry filling). we ordered the hostess and we both enjoyed it. the cake was a bit too sweet, but it was fresh and i would order it again.

(finally, i’m getting to the whole point of this post) i was initially skeptical of crumbs because of *all that frosting*. frosting, ewww. so, today, on my second visit to larchmont village, larchmont village pizza, and crumbs, i had to decide if i was going to go with the madison or try something with a mountain of frosting on it. we decided on the mint chocolate chip (or grasshopper as advertised on their web site): “Rich chocolate cake filled and frosted with mint cream cheese and rolled in chocolate chips, then topped with a dallop of vanilla buttercream and oreo pieces” and also injected with chocolate fudge (you can’t have too much decadence). the cake is pretty good. but all that other stuff is just overkill. ***let the cake speak for itself!***

i will always miss dainties which had the perfect combination of cake and ganache and flavored whipped cream. *tear falling* *sigh* i miss you, dainties.

something new in the m+j household

using our borders rewards membership/coupon, we bought a toddy coffee maker. using ethiopian beans m roasted on 24 may, she made a pot of coffee last night. this is our second attempt. the first attempt resulted in slightly grassy (underroasted) coffee because m tried to roast a whole pound at once in the behmor and the roasting program didn’t let the coffee come into the second crack. surprisingly, the coffee wasn’t bad – i’ve had grassy coffee in the french press and, well, ewwww.

the toddy coffee definitely tastes less acidic and smoother. i could hide the grassy flavor with lots of milk and sugar. this second batch is better (no grass) and definitely stronger as we let it “brew” for 20 hours instead of the recommended 12.

part of the reason i love french press coffee is the oils, and the toddy extracts them, so i like the reduced acidity, but i’m not completely sold on the resulting flavor. it’s great for iced coffee, but, alas, i’m a hot coffee connoisseur. our coffee exploration continues…

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