playlist, sept. 29, 2008

The Who - "Dancing in the Street"
Morrissey - "The Loop"
Luxury - "Green Hearts"
Future Islands - "Follow You"
Daedelus - "Get Off Your Hi-Hats"
DJ Bitman - "La Raza" [feat. Juan Sativo]
Terry Lynn - "Kingstonlogic"
Daft Punk - "Around the World / Harder Better Faster Stronger" [Live]
Sonic Youth - "Superstar"
The Cave Singers - "Seeds of the Night"
Fleet Foxes - "Blue Ridge Mountains"
Jenny Lewis - "Acid Tongue"
American Football - "Honestly?"
TV on the Radio - "Golden Age"
Prints - "Easy Magic"
The Tough Alliance - "Miami"
Ra Ra Riot - "Ghost Under Rocks"
The Faint - "The Geeks Were Right"
B.B. King - "How Blue Can You Get?" [Live]
Raphael Saadiq - "Sure Hope You Mean It"
pc muñoz - "Family Matters"
Cadence Weapon - "Unsuccessful Club Nights"
High Decibels - "Crash with No Cushion"
Bappi Lahiri, Usha Uthup - "Auva Auva Koi Yahan"
Of Montreal - "Jimmy"
Starfucker - "Florida"
Fujiya & Miyagi - "Uh"
Lali Puna - "Nin-Com-Pop"
Lambchop - "Ohio"
Rademacher - "Not My Home"
Tiger Lillies - "Roll Up"
Hot Chip - "Hold On"
Rafter - "Noise"
Why? - "Song of the Sad Assassin"
The Orb - "A Beautiful Day"

playlist, sept. 22, 2008

Noah and the Whale - "Shape of My Heart"
Human Highway - "The Sound"
Rufus Wainwright - "Across the Universe"
Common Market - "Back Home (The Return)"
Céu - "Malemolência"
The Good, The Bad & The Queen - "Northern Whale"
Daedelus - "My Beau" (feat. Paperboy & Erika Rose)
The Monitors - "Greetings (This Is Uncle Sam)"
Ra Ra Riot - "Ghost Under Rocks"
The Walkmen - "The New Year"
Future Islands - "Changing Your Life"
The Smiths - "Rusholme Ruffians"
Vampire Weekend - "Oxford Comma"
The High Decibels - "Miss Cindy"
King Khan and the Shrines - "Torture"
Terry Lynn - "Kingstonlogic"
Chemical Brothers - "Block Rockin' Beats"
Moby - "Alice"
The London Suede - "New Generation"
The Dalloways - "Dirty Money and Filthy Love"
Lackthereof - "Choir Practice"
Parenthetical Girls - "Four Words"
Shugo Tokumaru - "Clocca"
Final Fantasy - "The Arctic Circle"
Stereolab - "Self Portrait with 'eclectric brain'"
Portugal. The Man - "Colors"
Conor Oberst - "Souled Out!!!"
The DIrty Projectors - "Hyperballad"
Beck - "Walls"
The Rumble Strips - "No Soul"
El Guincho - "Palmitos Park"
pc muñoz - "Chatter & Buzz" (feat. Micropixie)
Alias - "Well Water Black" (feat. Why?)
The Notwist - "Where in This World"
Sinead O'Connor - "Jerusalem"
Hot Chip - "Wrestlers"
Starfucker - "German Love"
Crystal Castles - "Courtship Dating"
Styrofoam - "No Happy Endings" (feat. Erica Driscoll)

playlist, sept. 15, 2008

Okkervil River - "Singer Songwriter"
Fleet Foxes - "Oliver James"
Damien Jurado - "Caskets"
Glen Mansard & Markéta Irglová - "Lies"
She & Him - "You Really Got a Hold on Me"
Joan as Police Woman - "To America"
Subtle - "Hollow Hollered"
Deastro - "Michael, the Lone Archer of the Shore"
The Presets - "Kicking & Screaming"
The Faint - "The Geeks Were Right"
Black Kids - "I Wanna Be Your Limousine"
Patsy Cline - "She's Got You"
Gretchen Phillips - "Hello, Darling"
Jonquil - "Whistle Low"
Beck - "Gamma Ray"
Stereolab- "Chemical Chords"
Luciano Bahia - "Queda"
King Khan & The Shrines - "Took My Lady to Dinner"
Pink Floyd - "Pow R. Toc H."
Takka Takka - "Monkey Forest Road"
Spoon - "The Ghost of You Lingers"
The Helio Sequence - "Keep Your Eyes Ahead"
Hercules and Love Affair - "Time Will"
White Williams - "New Violence"
The Roots (feat. Jill Scott and Eve) - "You Got Me"
pc muñoz (feat. Micropixie) - "Chatter & Buzz"
Aesop Rock - "Gun for the Whole Family"
Lykke Li - "Melodies & Desires"
High Places - "The Modern Things"
Radiohead - "Everything in Its Right Place"
Fujiya & Miyagi - "Uh"
Passion Pit - "Sleepyhead"
The Chemical Brothers - "The Golden Path"
Dr. Dog - "Hang On"
Delta Spirit - "People C'mon"
Starfucker - "Florida"
The Walkmen - "In the New Year"

I ♥ fresno

"Burglar victims wake to spice rub, sausage attack"

By Louis Galvan / The Fresno Bee

A burglar who broke into a home just east of Fresno rubbed spices over the body of one of two men as they slept in their rooms and then used an 8-inch sausage to whack the other man on the face and head before running out of the house, Fresno County sheriff's deputies said Saturday.

Lt. Ian Burrimond, describing the crime as one of the strangest he's ever heard of, said a suspect was found hiding in a nearby field a few minutes later and taken into custody on suspicion of residential robbery.

Deputies, he said, had no problem linking the suspect to the crime.

"It seems the guy ran out of the house wearing only a T-shirt, boxer shorts and socks, leaving behind his wallet with his ID," Burrimond said.

Arrested was Antonio Vasquez, 22, of Fresno.

Burrimond said deputies headed to the victims' home in the 300 block of South Thompson Avenue near Kings Canyon Road shortly after 8 a.m. Saturday regarding a burglary in progress.

The victims, both farmworkers, told deputies they were awakened by a stranger applying spices to one of them and striking the other with a sausage.

Both the spices and the sausage, Burrimond said, reportedly were obtained from the victims' kitchen.

After the man fled, the victims discovered the home had been ransacked and that some money was taken, Burrimond said.

Burrimond said the money was recovered, but that the piece of sausage used in the attack was discarded by the suspect and eaten by a dog.

"That's right, the dog ate the weapon," Burrimond said.

"I tell you, this was one weird case."

playlist, sept. 1, 2008

Marching Band - "Gorgeous Behavior"
The Dutchess and the Duke - "Reservoir Park"
Delta Spirit - "Strange Vine"
Fujiya & Miyagi - "Knickerbocker"
Lykke Li - "Breaking It Up"
Matthew Dear - "Neighborhoods"
Neon Neon - "I Told Her on Alderaan"
The Tough Alliance - "Something Special"
Stereolab - "Three Women"
Luna - "Lovedust"
Jonquil - "Whistle Low"
Sunny Day Set Fire
Alias - "Well Water Black" [feat. Why?]
Modeselektor - "Let Your Love Grow"
Neneh Cherry - "I've Got U Under My Skin"
pc muñoz - "Disappear" [feat. Ingrid Chavez]
Bitter:Sweet - "Come Along with Me"
The Watson Twins - "How Am I to Be"
Amy Ray - "Bus Bus"
Holly Golightly - "I Hear You"
Dolly Parton - "Drives Me Crazy"
Laura Cantrell - "Trains and Boats and Planes"
Carla Bruni - "Ta Tienne"
Blake Jones & The Trike Shop - "Clever Things"
Rademacher - "What Yr Used to Back at Home"
Poplord - "What's Beneath"
James Brittain-Gore - "Rustle in the Leaves"
TV on the Radio - "Dancing Choose"
Sons & Daughters - "Chains"
The Dandy Warhols - "Wasp in the Lotus"
Takka Takka - "Silence"
Wolf Parade - "Soldier's Grin"
Hercules and Love Affair - "Athene"
King Khan & The Shrines - "Torture"
The Faint - "The Geeks Were Right"
Architecture in Helsinki - "Like It or Not" (El Guincho Remix)
Beck - "Gamma Ray"
M.I.A. - "Hombre"
Rafter - "Magic"
Ladytron - "Kletva"

cherry tomato salad

I subscribe to Cook's Illustrated magazine, and even though there aren't many vegetarian repices featured in their publications, what few they include are usually very good. Last night I made the Greek Cherry Tomato Salad that was featured in the July/August 2008 issue. It turned out well, so I thought I'd share the goodness:

Greek Cherry Tomato Salad

2 pints ripe cherry tomatoes, quartered (about 4 cups)
Table salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Ground black pepper
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

1. Toss tomatoes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and sugar in medium bowl; let stand for 30 minutes. Transfer tomatoes to salad spinner and spin until seeds and excess liquid have been removed, 45 to 60 seconds, stirring to redistribute tomatoes several times during spinning. Return tomatoes to bowl and set aside. Strain tomato liquid through fine-mesh strainer into liquid measuring cup, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible.
2. Bring 1/2 cup tomato liquid (discard any extra), garlic, oregano, shallot, and vinegar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until reduced to 3 tablespoons, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer mixture to small bowl and cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Whisk in oil and pepper to taste until combined. Taste and season with up to 1/8 teaspoon table salt.
3. Add cucumber, olives, feta, dressing, and parsley to bowl with tomatoes; toss gently and serve.

You can find the recipe with illustrations and a video here, although you may need to be a subscriber to the Cook's Illustrated site to access these.

The trick here is to salt and spin the tomatoes so as to get rid of the excess liquid, but then to use the strained liquid for the tomato vinaigrette. It may sound like extra work, but it's not really, and it's worth the effort to keep the salad from getting waterlogged.

The tomatoes I used were a mixture of green, red, and yellow heirlooms, which were both tasty and attractive.