monstermustdie

11:36 am: This just in...
WINDOWS 7 SUCKS ASS!

10:37 am: Food for thought.

Literally...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/31/opinion/31niman.html


In other news, weremonkeyand I attended a Halloween party last night and my costume scared a child so much that she went outside and would not come back in until I went out to her without the easily removable part of my "face" so that she could see who I was. I'd call that an unqualified success.

Everyone have a safe and fun Halloween.

MMD

10:30 pm: And now for something completely different!
Showing my age with that opener, neh?

I had my semi-annual with the neurologist today and, much to my surprise, was informed that I will no longer have to take Plavix, only a daily, full-dose aspirin. An unexpected bit of good news that will have many positive repercussions in my day-to-day. I will not have to make another office visit until this time next year. He observed as I headed out the door, "You're a lucky boy". I feel it!

Upon arriving home, I discovered the USPS had delivered the results of the physical that I had last week. Everything is aces PLUS my HDL cholesterol is 64 and my LDL is 109. Yeah, that's right...109. That's LOWER Than it was 10 years ago.

Life is good!

Just wanted to share this with my friends. It's all I could have hoped for...and more!

MMD

07:15 am: Health Care(less)
My boss came into my "office" yesterday afternoon and told me about the latest bill that we'd received for our (generously provided) health insurance. The bill was literally doubled from the last one and his immediate reaction was to call the agent and inquire. Turns out that Aetna (the provider) could give no reason for the increase...it just "went up". The short term impact on me? Most likely the loss of dental insurance. The long term impact? The added expense will probably come out of my pocket. I've been to the doctor ONCE in the past year and had one test done. I paid the FULL COST of the procedure because I had not met my ridiculously high deductible. Almost $1000.00 out of pocket for me.

Still think that Health Care Reform is a stupid idea? Before you answer, open your eyes & ears and realize that it's only going to get worse. At best, health insurance policies will provide protection against major medical costs and MOST of America's insured (read:middle class) will still not be able to afford office visits and the expensive tests that ensue.

Some damned thing needs fixing because the system IS well and truly 'broke' (GREED is at the bottom of it, of this you can be sure)!

I don't have the answers and I think both political parties are fumbling around in the dark, trying to find the light switch.

MMD

08:31 pm: NYC, last page!
Thursday a.m. and I was still in a great mood from the wonderful meal and company from Wednesday evening. NY is a great experience if you take the time to slow down and savor the moment(s).

Construction still a mess and several important things seem to have fallen by the wayside...very frustrating! We press on with our list and, more specifically, MY list as I will be flying out the next a.m. The single proudest moment for me was the aversion of a major problem with the Tour table that we had shipped from ATL to NYC for the showroom. It had a major flaw in the threads of one of four "legs" and that all-important final leg could not be attached. On the verge of having someone in ATL overnite a replacement leg, I decided instead on a gamble to address the issue. I sat in the floor with the wonky part, a hammer, and a jigsaw blade. I reshaped the distortion with the hammer, etched the threads with the tip of the jigsaw blade, and attempted to re-thread the part by slowly screwing it into the socket over and over, advancing a little each time. When it finally seemed to be working, I unscrewed and rescrewed it a few times and was rewarded with a perfect and secure fit. I tried, I succeeded, I saved my company much time and more than a little money. The table is pictured below...along with Brittani, the NY showroom mgr.



Lunch was very nice. We went to a neighborhood place called Lucky Strike. Not what I expected but I was delighted. More POLENTA, which seems to be on a lot of menus in NY. Nicely grilled and  served with crimini mushrooms in a sauce tasting slightly of citrus.



The afternoon stretched into early evening and a rush to finish my list of things to accomplish. Suddenly, I was finished...wow! The week had flown by and my work was done. Sam insisted that we have a nice meal as it would be my last in NY...for this time, anyway! He suggested  Gradisca, an Italian place owned by friends of friends (Gradisca was inspired by Fellini's Amarcord). Even though we were all tired and scruffy-looking, we headed there straightaway. It was a little dressy, but that did not seem to matter. The "mama" of one of the owners comes to NY every year from Italy and while there, puts her stamp on a number of signature dishes. When we arrived she was sitting at a table in the front making pasta by hand. Crazy cool! Things started off poorly when we were seated then forgotten. Add to that the DARK, barely lit space and I was not feeling very optimistic. Sam got aggressive, went up front and suddenly we had sterling service for the rest of the evening. I must pause to say that I love veal...when it's done right. I ordered the Costoletta alla Milanese con Rucola e Pomodorini, a thin breaded veal chop, pan fried and served with arugula and cherry tomatoes on the side (a salad of sorts). It was, hands down, one of the most magnificent pieces of veal that I have enjoyed to date. Sadly, the restaurant was so dark that my image is poor...but here it is anyway.



We tried to light it with the candles...to little or no avail. I don't need images to remember it... Desserts were ordered and enjoyed by my co-workers. To finish the meal, our waiter (by way of apology for the earlier lapse of service) brought a round of Sambucca with espresso beans for the table. What a great send-off meal.

Arising early Friday, I cleaned up, packed up, grabbed a coffee and headed to LaGuardia and home to my beloved weremonkey, who graciously retrieved me from the airport on Friday afternoon.

New York, always the same...always a surprise. What will it surprise me with next time, I wonder?

06:24 pm: Picking up where I left off...
Remember...I was in  NYC last week...

By Wednesday things were getting done and it was starting to come together...just not quickly enough and most of that because of the inevitable "hurry up and wait" on the contractors. Lots of excuses/ineptitude made it all the more frustrating because WE had our game ON! It became clear that I was gonna have to hold over for a day and arrangements were made by early Thursday.

At lunch we walked a dew blocks to a nifty little pan-Asian place called Kelly & Ping where I had a luscious noodle bowl with DUCK! Duck broth, chunks of duck, mushrooms, wonton, egg noodles and greens (bok-choy if I am not mistaken). Add a ginger beer to that and you have a happy John. Sam's "lunch box" is seen behind my bowl.



After lunch was a bit mellower, but still a lot of waiting. By the end of the day, we'd managed to get a lot of BIG things out of the way and wound things up a few minutes before I needed to leave for my dinner with friends. For those of you who are familiar with Anthony Bourdain, you'll know that PRUNE is a favorite of his. It's a tiny place so reservations are always recommended!



Rick and Rachael, friends from New Haven, made the afternoon train into town so that the three of us could experience this (made me sad that my weremonkeycould not join us). I arrived a few minutes early after a brisk walk from Soho to the Lower East Side and was greeting my friends soon after. We were a little early, but they were able to seat us right away. YAY! Rick and Rachael mugging for the camera...



Boy...JACKPOT! We started with some small plates...shrimp toast (ok, but not my favorite), grilled lamp sausages (amazing...and almost gone by the time I remembered to take a picture) and radishes with butter and coarse salt. The radishes were a total surprise and one of my favorite dishes.



But next...yeah, I ordered the marrow bone! We also ordered veal hearts, a big grilled sea bass and a delicious potato/cabbage concoction. The marrow bone was...very subtle. Not sure that it was what I expected and I would not choose to have it on a regular basis, but it was heartily enjoyed by all of us. The veal hearts...tasted like beef. A little iron-rich, but not quite the adventure that I'd hoped for. The Sea Bass was very tasty, but I am not the seafood type. The potato dish was delish.



What a grand restaurant! But wait, there's more! DESSERT! Steamed lemon pudding with blueberries and RICOTTA ice cream with caramel croutons and caramel sauce. The former delicious, the latter AMAZING! The ice cream was satiny in texture and the croutons were sweet/savory and managed to stay crispy...while they lasted. Oy vey, my heart...



Our time together was too short as they needed to get the train back to CT. We headed for the subway and I rode along with them even though I should have taken the C train. A quick hug goodbye @ 42nd street and I traveled solo to 59th where I got off and walked across town and ultimately along Central Park arriving @ Columbus Circle in about 45 minutes. It was a slightly damp, somewhat chilly walk and it was, in a word, beautiful!

Taking a break for a few minutes...stay tuned for Thursday!

11:31 pm: NYC, see!

I really need to catch up...1 day behind but Prune will have to be waxed euphoric over  tomorrow since I am dead tired.

Tuesday...let's see...

A decent but unremarkable lunch @ a SoHo joint, the name of which escapes me...see how impressive it was? I did take this picture for pitbullpotpie's hubby on the way back...



It was a long, rough day which was made better by an enjoyble evening with two of Sam's friends @ Inoteca. My Weremonkey would love this place...serious wine and really appealing food. I enjoyed a grilled polenta with roasted seasonal veggies and delicious, crispy diced pancetta...as seen below. Hearty but not heavy enough to be off-putting.



The service was good and the details were very nice...check out the olives that were ordered as an after-dinner "snack".



Too tired to type, going to sleep on Columbus Circle again...I miss my family!

MMD

08:45 pm: NY, NY
Found NYC just like I left it, albeit a bit chastened and much more reasonably priced. After checking in, we had a quick lunch @ Bouchon overlooking Columbus Circle.



Tasty Grilled Gruyere cheese sandwich with roasted tomato soup. We proceeded to the new showroom for some planning/coordination and a walk through with the contractor. A few hours of this and off to dinner via a rambling SoHo adventure with a stop into MOSS to escape a little rain. Here's an image of Sam and Brittani in that ultra-pricey modern design store...



We ended up @ Florencia 13, a SoCal Mexican place co-owned by Danny Trejo, famous for his roles in Tarantino/Rodriguez flicks (among others). Cool place which is a favorite haunt of Sam and Daniel when in NYC. Here's an image from there...



Had a great salad there...avocado and hearts of palm with a lucious balsamic dressing. The place was so dark that my pic of this amazing concoction was useless. Stopped in Porto Rico Importing on the way to the subway...overwhelmingly rich and heavy coffee smell. Bought a half pound each of French Tanzania Peaberry and Ethiopian Yirgacheffe...whole bean so that my sweetie can experience the rich aromas. YUM!

Think that's all I can muster for tonight. More as time permits.

I miss my WereMonkey and my cat!

Wearily, MMD

01:44 pm: News? More like "olds"...
Tired of seeing and hearing the same day-to-day crap on TV and in the media...specifically, all the posturing, accusations and vitriol on both sides of the aisle and, for that matter, abroad. If we spent a fraction of that wasted energy working together to solve our problems...oh, wait...HELL HASN'T FROZEN OVER YET!

Feh!

MMD

09:20 am: The circle of life.
Too little sleep and my mind/body is paying for it. Damned "bad man"!

To NYC Monday-Thursday to set up the new showroom. I'll do my best to share the sights, sounds and TASTES of NY with you guys...with pix of course!

Another sad note...two more pups lost to us in the past week. Mona and Wrigley...gone too soon. Good, good dogs.

Asleep on my feet...

MMD

06:50 pm:
After the night-of-water-on-head and abso-freaking-lutely ZERO sleep, I get home to discover that I can't get home. The front entrance to our `hood is closed (was this a.m.) and the other way in was as well. I was able to plan an alternate back route with my "i" and thought I had it going on...until I got to another street over which a small stream was rushing. I sat there for a couple of minutes with the other cattle until I observed a Ford Explorer drive right through it. Needless to say, I am not afraid of much so I plowed on and discovered that it looked much worse than it was. People with larger vehicles followed. I called weremonkey and advised a little wait time, drove back to check it out about 45 minutes later and she is now on her way. All is well...except for the water INSIDE our house. I am too damned tired to care much right now. Hoping to sleep tonight...the "bad man" will not defeat me.

Off to NYC again next Monday and hope to FINALLY eat @ Prune while there. Looking forward to trying the marrow bone appetizer...gotta see what Tony is talking about, right?

Hope that everyone is safe and sound...or at least drunk!

Water...WAAAAATERRRRRR!

MMD

01:55 pm: To clarify...
Schweinfurt (where I lived in Germany as a child) is closest to FRANKFURT, not Hamburg. It's been while (early 1960's).

Ach du lieber himmel...

MMD

07:01 pm: Man's best friend...

"The one absolutely unselfish friend that humans can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts them, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is their dog."

~George Graham Vest, Senator of Missouri, 1855


We reluctantly say farewell to Fenway and to Jerry Lee. They were good, good dogs.
 

09:26 pm: A recommendation.
For those that have not seen "9", I can wholeheartedly recommend it. A storyline that could have been a little bit more polished, but one that I easily embraced by the end of the film. Critics have compared it to Wall-E. Really, folks...is there a shortage of imagination that I am unaware of? The films do have a few minor similarities but that's beside the point. Why do critics sometimes resort to describing a film as "...like so-and-so except with this-and-that."? I guess being a film critic doesn't  necessarily ensure thoughtful, well-reasoned and insightful discourse on the subject matter.

Go see it...really!

A sincere thank you to our guests last night. More soon!

MMD

05:23 pm: Oh Kay, I'll repeat...MOVIE NIGHT!
It's time again...unless there are no takers. Nice, low/no cost evening with friends. No hassles, free parking, health care overhaul...oh wait, that's another post.

Where? el Rancho de WereMonster

When? Saturday, September 12th, 8:00 p.m. with movies starting soon thereafter.

Our features are...

Vampyr Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1932. Inspired (in part) by Sheridan Le Fanu's story "Carmilla".

Beauty and the Beast (La belle et la bete) Directed by Jean Cocteau, 1946. Based on Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont's story.

Can you guess the theme? Both movies are kid-safe, but may have frightening scenes.

We'll provide popcorn, Raisinets and soda pop. You are welcome to BYOB and/or snacks. Please let us know if you're coming! Need directions? Just let us know.

MMD

12:44 pm: A pause...

It's a fairly lazy day at el Rancho. After a busy, fun-filled weekend we're both taking some time to clean the house a bit, do some laundry, and address things left undone from Saturday and Sunday.

While I always enjoy the D'Con parade and seeing friends, total immersion is just not my thing. It was good to see kisa_bastetand justicefireand that was much more satisfying than any other aspect of the day/evening. It was good fun!

Sunday was Drive Invasion and that was a good time! A fair few friends were able to join us and we had a nice day on the asphalt. Music of note? Wanda Jackson, Deadbolt and los Straightjackets. I think I drank one beer too many, but I was fine this a.m.

My pause is one to reflect on one BIG thing on this LABOR DAY. I am happy to be sharing my life with my weremonkeyand hope that she'll tolerate me for many years to come. I believe myself to be a very lucky man.

I was going to make some observations of a quasi-political nature, but I have decided to be a mellow guy today! To that end, hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday!

Cheers!

MMD

08:12 pm: Movie night @ el Rancho de WereMonster

Where? el Rancho de WereMonster

When? Saturday, September 12th, 8:00 p.m. with movies starting soon thereafter.

Our features are...

Vampyr Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1932. Inspired (in part) by Sheridan Le Fanu's story "Carmilla".

Beauty and the Beast (La belle et la bete) Directed by Jean Cocteau, 1946. Based on Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont's story.

Can you guess the theme? Both movies are kid-safe, but may have frightening scenes.

We'll provide popcorn, Raisinets and soda pop. You are welcome to BYOB and/or snacks. Please let us know if you're coming! Need directions? Just let us know.

MMD

11:24 am: If it ain't broke...

When it comes to certain things, I am an unapolegetic purist. I am a cinema geek and classic horror movies are woven into the very fabric of who I am. It should come as no surprise that I am worried about the upcoming Wolfman remake (not to mention the 2011 Creature from the Black Lagoon). It's not that I am opposed to remakes, but there are some things best left alone (i.e. The Day the Earth Stood Still, Psycho). The gist of it is this...CGI enables some amazing things in contemporary cinema and is (probably) best left TO contemporary cinema. Just because you can update a classic movie with lots of splashy effects, doesn't mean you SHOULD. The Wolfman will no doubt be entertaining and the preview shows that the transformation sequences look pretty damned convincing, but what happens to the acting after CGI takes over? The closest we've come to "acting" in CGI form was Gollum (thanks, Andy). That being said, the actors are formidable and the settings are appropriately gloomy and atmospheric (mostly CGI, I'm afraid). It also appears that they are taking this movie quite seriously and NOT playing it for laughs as in the silly Mummy movies and the ludicrous Van Helsing. The Universal monster movies may not have been high art, but they are classics that have influenced popular culture all over the world. Their impact on future generations is lessened if they are supplanted in memory by bungled attempts to hit the refresh button.

I'll happily pay my $$$ to see The Wolfman and will expect to be disappointed. Maybe I'll be surprised...that would be nice!

In other news...ANTS! ANTS EVERYWHERE! No, not ANGST....ANTS!

08:31 pm: District 9
Weremonkey and I just saw this! Brilliant! Not going to get into the socio-political commentary on this one, but I think I'll be an alien.

MMD

10:31 am: Good Morning, Mr. and Mrs. America...
Here's the Oligarchy that you ordered!