Good Night Sweet Prince, And Flights Of Angels Sing Thee To Thy Rest

I am sad to report that Allen D. Petersen has gone to heaven. He was one of the best people I have had the privilege and pleasure of knowing. He was a mentor and a friend, and he gave me the most extraordinary decade of my life. Words cannot express my gratitude and admiration for Allen and his influence. He will be profoundly missed by his family and friends. It's tough to imagine life without him in the world. What a terrible loss. I always kinda loathed this ugly "holiday" called halloween, and now the date lands with a deeper morbidity. Fuck halloween. Fuck death. [photo of Bill Petersen, holding the tool he invented - the Vise Grip] So long sweet friend, it was a great ride.

Car, Park Thyself

Does anyone in Chicago have one of these cars that automatically parks itself? How can this possibly work proficiently enough to make it marketable? Some research led me to this fascinating article on nonholonomic systems. (Perhaps Mark G can help us with this math stuff?) "Automatic Parking" is the general concept, more specifically: "Advanced Parking Guidance Systems". These parking systems are based on what the study of mechanics calls a nonholonomic system. Does anyone have one of these cars? Can you come by and show me? I wanna see it one in action.

A "Well Established Sequence Of Motions..."

"...established by members of the gay community to solicit sex." Who the hell established this sequence, and why don't I know it? How does public bathroom sex work anyway? I can't believe I don't know more about this (considering how perverse I am), but the concept of public sex terrifies me. I simply can't get my brain around the speed and anonymity (or perhaps it's just my perception of the general quality of bathroom trade - i.e. Republican Senator Craig). I don't exactly need dinner and a movie either, but perhaps there's a happy middle(?). Surely I have plenty of readers who know this "well established sequence of motions". Being a crack sexual ethnographer this is just the kind of nasty trivia I love. Can we get an expert please? I'm dying to know the secret code! What is the magic sequence of motions? Dammit, I wanna know!

10 Second Updates

Friends often don't phone each other because they don't feel like they have the time and/or energy to get involved in a long conversation. To stay in touch with more people more often I do "ten second updates" (off peak hours). I call everyone I know and ask: "where are you? what are you wearing? what are you eating?", or some such other nonsense; then exchange appropriate salutations; then hang up. We take for granted that we already have Star Trek technology. Use the force of satellite science!

Fincher's Flawless Frames - Zodiac Triumphs!

David Fincher lives high in my pantheon of filmic gods, and Zodiac does not disappoint. The taxi cab shot and the shot of the building going up are candidates for high art. Run don't walk to see Fincher's triumph (shot in digital even - wow. say goodbye to celluloid girls.) I love this movie.

My Dinner With Axelrod

I had dinner tonight with David Axelrod, the man behind Obama's campaign. He's a fascinating guy, and gave us lots of juicy dish about his life and work (especially with Hillary). Scott Turow was with us, and pressed David pretty hard with lots of great questions. Dinner was at the Chicago Club, and the food was fantastic (I had oysters and salmon). Anything that happens at the Chicago Club is infamously off the record, so I would tell you all the juicy details... but they would find me and they would kill me. On another interesting note, David's son, Mike, is working on Jay Paul Deratany's campaign for Cook County Assessor. Vote for Jay!

The Three Main Types Of Fennel

Bitter fennel is native to Southern Europe. It figures prominently in the Greek myth of Prometheus, who stole fire from the gods by hiding it in a hollow stalk of fennel, thus freeing us from a legacy of brutish ignorance. Its seed is now grown mostly in Central and Eastern Europe and its popularity is limited primarily to that region. The entire plant is edible, with the stalks often chopped and used in stews and pickles. Sweet fennel is the type best known to the rest of the world. Its country of origin is most likely Italy but it first appears in the historical record in a 9th century edict by Charlemagne in which he orders sweet fennel to be grown in the imperial gardens in what is now Southern France. Like its bitter cousin, the entire sweet fennel plant is edible and was used extensively in mediaeval cooking, primarily as a flavoring but also as a vegetable. It is also used in herbal formulas and aromatherapy. It has a long history as a carminative (gas-x) and digestive aid. Florence fennel ("finocchio") produces a fist-sized swelling of overlapping stalks at its base that is used as a vegetable. It's the most recent member of the fennel family, developed in Italy in the 17th century. It can be sliced and fried or steamed, but is commonly used raw, sliced thinly into salads, adding crisp texture and a light anise flavor.

Anethole And Estragole, Or, Smells Like Licorice

Anethole is an aromatic compound that accounts for the distinctive "licorice" flavor of anise, fennel, star anise, and anise myrtle. It has a chemical formula of C10H12O, and is closely related to estragole, or p-allylanisole or methyl chavicol, which is a natural organic compound. Estragole is a double-bond isomer of anethole. It is a colorless to pale yellow liquid. It is the primary constituent of tarragon oil making up 60-75% of the oil. It is also found in basil (23-88%), pine oil, turpentine and Syzygium anisatum. Remember - when your food smells like "licorice" it contains one or more of these four ingredients: fennel, anise, tarragon, basil. That's why fennel is like a big licorice-smelling onion! Never (ever) be without fennel. Experiment with it in place of onion, and chop the tiny fronds (which look like dill) for an aromatic garnish (sprinkle on top of your finished dish), and don't chop the fronds until seconds before you serve. Yes, there are three main types of fennel, but that's another post...

Tonight's Pastry Work

Laminated doughs are a ton of work, but oh so delicious and versatile. I can't believe how many amazing goodies I can make. (Some of them are stuffed with cheese and bacon, others with chocolate (of course)). The cinnamon rolls are just out of the top of the frame... dripping in vanilla cream cheese icing.