I suppose one would call this bit of mixed media a painiting from Brie Cella. It’s really much better in person. A lot of the effect depends on its dimensionality. It reminds me of a meal at Alinea.

And then there is this photograph/print from Mary Sea

Again, dimensionality. The photograph by itself was already pretty nicely composed, and then there’s the print overlain upon it. You don’t see prints over photographs all that often. Plus I like old wood buildings, and birds on powerlines, so there.

As of right now, one of my favorite things to do is to throw a couple of Eggplants on the grill overnight as the coals die. Just the eggplants in their own skins with a layer of olive oil over them.

Also, the other day, I wrapped a chicken airline breast with a deboned leg. I stole this idea from Blackbird, but wrapping a breast in a leg is genius. The thigh needs to cook longer… Just remember to season the inside before wrapping. It’s a nice serving size for one hungry diner.

I’ve been writing. I really have. But more, I’ve been taking photographs.

Anyway, here is a review I wrote for The Front Table on Marlantes’s Matterhorn.

Goldsprints is a series of races conducted over the winter at Johnny Sprockets, on Broadway and Wellington. It’s fixed gear bikes on rollers, over 300 meters. More fun than the racing itself is watching people walk by, looking inside to see what could possibly be going on in a bike shop that late at night. Of course, to us inside, what we’re doing is perfectly normal, it’s people the gawkers staring and pointing who are being weird. Don’t they realize that it’s rude to stare? Whatever, they’re funny.

But what I learned was that I don’t have that extra reserve to go out and win something. What youth softball coaches like to call “110%.” Whatever that is, I don’t have it. It’s kind of a disappointment, you know, looking for that extra little bit, and finding it missing. Well, I had my excuses, sure. Like racing after a 14 hour workday, and whatever. And being old and slow. But it’s kind of liberating, to know that I’m really not that competitive.

Well, anyway, I did end up winning one race, put up a 17.00 second time, and somehow I’m in the finals. Winner takes home a bike. I’m a number 12 seed though, so my chances don’t look that good. But hey, I’m faster on my bike in real life than I’ve ever been.