Twitter cookbook

From one of my favorite Twitter features, Twitter cookbook…

A recipe for Coffee Dates:
Coffee Steeped Dates: boil 2c strong coffee/t sugar/20 cardamom/stick cinnamon; +2c pitted dates, cool/refrigerate overnight. Srv w yoghurt

Maybe I’ll try this over the holidays and let you know how it turns out.

papercraft angel

For some holiday fun, make a papercraft angel.

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Mr. and Mrs. Jolley

I’d like to take a brief second to congratulate David Jolley on his wedding this past December 8th. I waited until now to share because I wanted to supply photographic evidence of the occasion. Good luck, Heather. DJ, you really won out on this deal.

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Indubitably delicious

Meg and I can across this the other day browsing youtube. For some reason, the tag lines had deeply embedded themselves in my brain for years and fully resurfaced upon first watch. I can sing it word for word (not one of my greater talents, but special nevertheless).

Are you Legend?

I didn’t make it to the midnight showing… but here’s an article on fxguide.com about the I Am Legend visuals.

Where are they?

Looks like someone’s working on a theatrical release of Where the Wild Things Are. I’m intrigued. (via WWFT).

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Haircut and Horizon

Today, I’m going to get the first professional haircut I’ve had in about 5 years. Meg’s been going to a girl from our church (actually, I think our entire staff goes there at this point). And so I’m going to step out on a limb a be a little daring today.

But I’m also very excited about dropping by Horizon Records on the way in. It’s just down the street, and is by far the coolest indie / local record store I’ve come across in a while (Rainbow Records in Anderson notwithstanding). I went in last time and casually tested the waters.

ME: “yeah, hey, do you have the new Hexstatic?”

THE GUY: “um… hmm… I know I have Rewind and Masterview… (checks the large section labeled “electronica and other”)… no, sorry, I can order it. Usually we keep the Ninjatune stuff well stocked. You must be looking for that robot gone bad album, right?”

Yes, this gentleman knows what he’s talking about. To know the band’s label, their prior two releases, and is aware of their current release, I’ve found underground rock nirvana. Can’t wait to drop in today.

Piano day

Today, I spent the greater part of the afternoon tracking down Meg’s Christmas present. I decided to give up on surprising her, because I realized that sneaking a piano under the Christmas tree just wouldn’t work. As I gave it to her early, my wife is again reunited with a long-time childhood passion of hers, the piano.

I did my due diligence, researching in the paper, online, and other local ads before locating one in the deep sticks of Westminster. I took along Mr. Joe Hall and his massive Ford F-1,000,000 (or 250, I just know it’s huge) for the trip and we came back victorious. I did deal in cash. I did talk them down (it was a fair negotiation, Joe’s impressed with my haggling skills).

I think the stop at Hardee’s for a victory fry and Coke was as memorable as the hunting experience. We’ve spent part of the evening preparing a new home for our new instrument. It’s been lovingly doused in Murphy’s Oil Soap and other cleaning agents, and it beams with pride, waiting for a new sonnet or jazzy pop standard.

It’s too bad I don’t play. But Meg does, and with a piano in the house, my desire is for my kids to pick up an interest. If their reaction to the arrival is any indication, we’re in great shape.

I’m not convinced

I’m not 100% sure what product this is (sure it says marshmallow cookies, but what do we really know), but it’s psycho graphic illustration either (1) frightens me in deep ways or (2) intimidates me into purchasing it. (view it full size) It’s quite intense, no?

DivX encoder – free for a limited time.

Not sure what the big deal is, but DivX encoder is free for a limited time. (link to Mac version)

Beacon

Today, I had lunch at the Beacon in Spartanburg, SC. I love how the first link in this google search is to their iced tea page and not their actual home page.

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Yes, I ordered my food “A-Plenty.” No, I did not finish my plate.

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Yes, we all shared a Pig’s dinner for dessert. What’s a Pig’s dinner, you ask? Look no further than right here. That’d be 10 scoops of ice cream loaded in a way that makes the tray structurally unsound.

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Screaming Beans.

If you can believe it, my wife sent this my way. Go be entertained.

Screaming Beans.

Just an update (sporadic thoughts)

I was on vacation last week. I still found a little time for blogging, but here’s the big secret… I pre-posted a lot of last week’s blogs knowing my regularly scheduled discipline would be a bit off. Don’t hate it, just embrace the fact that it’s like I have a little segment of The Matrix working for me. The AV Club is partially run by robots, it’s OK.

We’re knee deep in Christmas series preparation this week, end-of-the-year series preparation, that “first series in January” preparation, and a whole lot of other stuff. We do like to keep busy during the holidays, right? Come to NewSpring, you’ll see what we’ve been working on.

I’ve caught quite a few movies while I was out… all on DVD, of course. Though I do embrace Netflix, I’m intrigued by the Red Box kiosk. We have one at Bloom across the street from the church. Simple concept, they have about 100 DVDs, all $1/night, nearly all new releases. Not good for watching a back catalog of movies, but when Netflix just won’t send you that new release, it’s a viable option. Here’s the best part, they KEEP SENDING ME FREE RENTAL COUPONS. Of course, I end up returning it a day late and still pay a dollar, but it’s worth it, right? This week’s coupon code is “DVDONME” They told me to share it. Don’t believe me, go give it a try?

My kids are cute these days. Gardner is mastering, um… number 2 in the potty. Surely you all need to know that. His reward was a fish. It went something like this.

Me: “what kind of fish do you want, buddy?”
G: “A BLUE fish”
Me: “what do you want to call him?”
G: “BLUEFISH”

And that was that.

I’m thinking of redesigning the AV Club for 2008. It’s been about 6 months or so since this look, and while I don’t dislike it, it could be better. Is there anything you’d like to request? The time is now.

I realized last night that I only slightly miss my network TV shows since the writer’s strike took them away. The way I figure, I could do two things. (1) just watch less TV. or (2) record all my shows during the week and make Friday night “TV NIGHT.” Catch up on everything. But will I be able to handle not knowing what’s going on with Chuck for 4 additional days?

Meg’s fast producing wonderful things for the Christmas season (food, decorations, scented holiday devices placed around the house). I believe her shopping’s done. It’s quite awesome, really. We love the holidays, and with kids, my wife is starting some really cool Christmas traditions that hopefully will catch on. Read her blog for details.

I’m working out in a gym again. As much as I love my garage facility, it’s damp and cold in the winter (usually not at the same time), and it discourages me from exercise. Also I don’t have a good cardio regimen, and that’s what I really need to work on. I’m serious about it this time… I’ve actually been going early.

I got new shelves in my office. That may not be a big deal to anyone, but now I can move some stuff around and reposition my oh-so-crucial whiteboard in a more ideal spot, ready for capturing input and the collaboration of ideas.

We’re working the Panasonic “200s” into our workflow slowly. I took one home over the weekend to give it a try. It’s an easy camera to get your hands around, though it’s a bit lightweight and doesn’t rest on your shoulder. There are accessories that still need to be added. The full critique and benefits / downsides will be explored (probably on Will’s site) after the holidays… once we’ve fully stress tested the cameras.

OK, my brain is emptied. It’s all out there. Do you feel like we’ve caught up? I’m glad we have these talks.

Computer Arts black and white

The new Computer Arts Projects magazine features “black and white” design concepts. I love stark black and white design, so this looks interesting. Worth picking up.

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Anyone remember…

’nuff said.

Foldschool.com

Foldschool.com. Why am I not hoarding cardboard boxes already?

Yes and no.

Yes and No (c’mon, a knitted brain)

Hebrews

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Originally uploaded by avclub.

Had a great quiet time today. What a cool concept, when we find ourselves being disciplined and punished, it confirms that we’re children of God. It assures up we’re not illegitimate.

VH1 holiday piece

Nice piece of VH1 ID for the holidays. By Man vs Machine. And to boot, some additional indents. I love some variation on a theme.

Christmas wallpapers

Larissa Meek links up some lovely holiday desktop wallpapers. If you’re a discerning holiday fan (and I know you’re out there), I’m sure you’ll appreciate the festiveness (I didn’t say Festivus).

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By the way, I should mention this is one of the best looking blogs I’ve ever seen.