Here’s a self-effacing diary entry from March 1851 in which Tolstoy chronicles his flaws, hour by hour—part of a larger project in which he evaluates his own ethics. How many of these peccadilloes have you committed today? “Koloshin (Sergei) came to drink vodka, I did not escort him out (cowardice). At Ozerov’s argued about nothing (habit of arguing) and did not talk about what I should have talked about (cowardice). Did not go to Beklemishev’s (weakness of energy). During gymnastics did not walk the rope (cowardice), and did not do one thing because it hurt (sissiness).—At Gorchakov’s lied (lying). Went to the Novotroitsk tavern (lack of fierté). At home did not study English (insufficient firmness).”
very long thread on the avclub about favorite simpsons quotes. appreciated this one.
The year was 1968. We were on recon in a steaming Mekong delta. An overheated private removed his flack jacket, revealing a T-shirt with an ironed-on sporting the MAD slogan "Up with Mini-skirts!". Well, we all had a good laugh, even though I didn't quite understand it. But our momentary lapse of concentration allowed "Charlie" to get the drop on us. I spent the next three years in a POW camp, forced to subsist on a thin stew made of fish, vegetables, prawns, coconut milk, and four kinds of rice. I came close to madness trying to find it here in the States, but they just can't get the spices right!
Thanks to expert babysitter Nonna we had a night out. Dinner at Racines. Each time reinforces the idea that this place is magic. Especially if you can sit at the back 4 seat bar that overlooks the tiny kitchen. It's like you're working the line (without actually having to work.) The food is completely incrediblle. For the entree I had a wild pigeon (they warned there might be buckshot in the meat,) with foie gras inside a very light pastry. Incredible. The butternut squash veloute with beef cheeks amuse will not soon be forgotten. But the details aren't important so much as encouraging you to go eat here. Seriously. Preferably with me. You know my number...
Broad City returns to Comedy Central tonight, and everything about the new season of the show is bigger: It has more swagger, more jokes, more risks. Its creators are allowing their world to freely expand, filling the space of the raised expectations for the new season like a noble gas. The stakes feel higher, the production is more crisp and polished than ever before, and the farcical universe of the show has opened up to include a brand-new cast of characters, both human and animal alike.
(bone) broth
my breakfast explained: acme whitefish
jim was disappointed with the wolf of wall street for among other reasons that it focused on something on the periphery. brad pitts production company has bought up the rights to michael lewis' the big short which took dead aim at the 2008 financial meltdown, or so i imagine. who has time to read?
i thought i had a post on the jets from about a month ago when i was actively enjoying the many ways they found to lose as they rocketed to the top of the draft board for next season. of course while all the other losers found a way to lose on the final week of the season, the jets had to win and drop a couple of slots down to sixth which is still "pretty good" but probably not low enough to snare one of the two quarterbacking studs they need to rebuild once again. since then they fired the coach who everyone liked but thought should perhaps go after four subpar seasons and the gm who was generally reviled for mismanaging the team.
at the moment the jets are coachless though the defensive coordinator for the seahawks (the best defense in the nfl) seems to be the top choice while a gm was announced today. and the reason for this post? he was in my class at trinity. i only knew him in passing but i am not expecting great things.
Beekeeping is changing. So are we. “Honeybees aren’t going extinct,” one beekeeper told me, “they’re becoming more intensively managed livestock.” Which continues the agricultural trend—thousands of years in the making, but accelerated by modern farming—of relying entirely on a handful of chosen species and hoping we can continue to keep them alive. The system feeding humanity keeps growing, but it keeps growing more precarious.
Better love story than Twilight.
major killer posters included!!!
There goes another piece of the neighborhood
wow. i know nobody cares much about basketball but the knicks are officially the worst team in the nba with a 5 - 32 record and a 12 game losing streak. and tonight they made themselves worse by trading off two decent though not especially useful players in their current state and receiving very little in return, primarily players they can cut and save 20 million dollars from a lost season. next year they will have 30 million in salary cap space to offer, assuming they can find a use for it which is highly debatable. also, it greatly increases their chances of a top draft pick but unlike the nfl there is still a lottery for draft positions (this year cleveland had only a 4% chance for the top pick but got it) so nothing is guaranteed. one thing for sure, its phil jacksons team next year going forward.
