answers at last

how men work

how women work

eucalyptus

i've never been a big fan of the gossip

but i've got to give it up for their cover of the aaliyah classic 'are u that somebody'

and their lead singer fucking rocks.


where were rock stars like that when i was a teenager?

XXX

cauliflower revolution

with the exception of its use as a base for truffled soup, i've been pretty indifferent to cauliflower for most of my life. it's a little bland and slightly creepy. but recently this has all changed: i've discovered the joy that is roasted cauliflower. and now i want to share it with you.

here's the deal (paraphrased from cooks illustrated):

make your way down to the store and buy a head of cauliflower. preheat oven to 450. cut off the bottom stalk, and then chop the head into 8 wedges. toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. cover a baking sheet with tinfoil and brush with more oil. add cauliflower (one of the flat sides down) and then cover the baking sheet tightly with another layer of tinfoil. put it in oven for 10-12 minutes. take the tinfoil off and cook for another 10-12 minutes. flip the cauliflower over to the other flat side and cook for another 10-12 minutes, or until they look done. take them out and don't eat them too fast or you'll burn your mouth.

its tastier than i ever dreamed cauliflower could be.

artifact

i have a friend date tonight

someone i met ages ago at a party. we exchanged numbers, talked on the phone a few times, but this our first chance to hang out.

i'm a little nervous.

its raining!

at last.

mas

so let me get this straight

we live in a country where the average joe can walk into a store and buy semi-automatic weapons without a problem, but a woman can't get a medical procedure that might save her life, because some repressed, self-righteous stranger might be offended.

yes, you neo-fascist, neo-conservative dickheads, this makes total sense.

jackasses.

something is in the air

almost everyone i know is in some sort of crisis: break ups, breakdowns, general malaise and ennui around every turn.

i'm thinking we should all just take cover until memorial day, when we'll reconvene for a giant barbecue at my house. i'll import fireflies from the east coast. we'll lie in the hammock, drink beer and pick each others scabs. everything will be fine.

in the alley

la isla de las munecas

i realized this morning

that the way i've been walking to get coffee is loud, smelly and trafficky. its the shortest path from my front door to the coffee shop.

but this morning i remembered that i have a back door. and this door leads to a less noisy route to the coffee shop. a route that, out of pure habit, i haven't been taking.

i know this isn't some revolutionary realization. in fact, its kind of obvious and dull. i just never cease to be amazing by the power of habit, or of anything that goes unquestioned for too long.

top 10 lessons for surviving a zombie attack

1. organize before they rise!
2. they feel no fear, why should you?
3. use your head: cut off theirs.
4. blades don’t need reloading.
5. ideal protection = tight clothes, short hair.
6. get up the staircase, then destroy it.
7. get out of the car, get onto the bike.
8. keep moving, keep low, keep quiet, keep alert!
9. no place is safe, only safer.
10. the zombie may be gone, but the threat lives on.

from: the zombie survival guide

happy easter!

traffic in mexico city's a bitch

i lost my favorite hoodie

fuck.

awkward pelvic exam conversations are almost as bad as the exams themselves

"so, what are you planning on doing after you graduate?"

"i don't know. what are you planning on doing after you get your HAND out of my VAGINA?"

crime

as long as we're on the subject of maps, i thought i'd offer this interactive map of los angeles: you enter an address, and it shows all of the crimes that have taken place in a 1 (or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5) mile radius in the past 3 (or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7) days. you can scroll over the jauntily color-coded markers for details.

for an even more disturbing look at the city, check out the map version of LATimes homicide blog.

and, for good measure (and because i just got out of map class) check out the carte marina, a beautiful old map of the nordic countries. i'm particularly fond of the sea monsters.

close-up of one of the sea monsters

the pyramid of the sun, the sun, la collecion jumex, yum, el tunel de la alegria, mexican culture is quite macabre

los angeles without smog