all the news that isn't

Thanks to the efforts of one Danny Rego, squeezeboxing has returned! Sweet!

Spring – if not summer – is definitely here: it’s the second day in a row that I’ve not worn a coat to work. A high near 80 today! Happy Friday!

Yeah, I’m back in town, so hopefully the old blog will get more frequent updates. One update I just did was change the link name to Doug and Aurora’s blog, as it seems they’re (back) up and running. Or maybe just walking. But they do have a picture up!

Tonight I made a half-batch (8×8 pan) of chocolate chip cookie bars. I feel like since I started cooking on my own, I’ve had this view that chocolate chip cookie bars were somehow lower-class or inferior. I don’t know why, probably because I’ve always tried to do things the good and proper way, and the bar form of cookies seems like a cop-out or lazy. I liked them as a kid. I mean, they’re just chocolate chip cookies… in bar form! Anyway, they were nummie, and in some small part took me back to years past, perhaps just like tater tots did for my Dad just a couple days ago.

Adrienne is from the Northwest and has a fondness for tater tots. I like bananas, and live in Jersey City. With that, I present two food facts I learned from listening to a Splendid Table podcast: The first tater tot was created on the Oregon/Idaho border in 1953, of what was previously used as cow feed. The first banana sold in the US was sold in Jersey City, in 1870.

I’ve been a fan of composer Osvaldo Golijov’s music since I heard his ‘St. Mark’s Passion’. His latest, ‘Oceana,’ is also highly recommended listening. If you have preconceptions of what classical music is – boring, WASP-y music – you must give these a listen.

This morning Celli barely ate any breakfast, something I’ve never witnessed before. She’d also been sneezing a bit. A little ‘kiss’ revealed a warm dry nose – a good thing for humans, but not for cats! She already seems to be feeling better and eating more, but she’s still sneezing a bit. Hope she feels better soon, so she can get back to her crazy self!

Today’s discovery: Celli likes macaroni and cheese.

It’s raining here. A lot. I can’t help but think what it would be if it were snow – we still haven’t gotten a real snow storm this season. I’m not keeping my hopes up. Sigh. (By the way, this is another little test of what are called ‘asides’ – short mini-posts in blogs.)