Boris

So... when I said they were eclectic,  I meant it.

Boris in 2011

Boris in 2006 [with Sunn 0)))]

Their discography actually gets even crazier than this.  I'm probably scaring my participants away at this point.

Recipe in Progress: Eggs Over Polenta

I've been trying to refine this for awhile now.  I'm still not entirely satisfied with the result, but I think what I have is a pretty good base to add/subtract things.

Eggs over Polenta

Ingredients

2-4 Eggs

1 Clove Garlic

2 Tablespoons Oregano

1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese

1 Cup Cornmeal (Polenta)

3 Cups Water

Frozen Vegetable of Your Choice 

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Method

1. Chop vegetables and garlic.  Sauté vegetable with garlic then set aside.

1.  Bring the water to a boil, adding a pinch of salt.  Slowly pour the cornmeal into the water.  Reduce to medium heat.

2.  Stir the water/cornmeal slowly and constantly.  The mixture should begin to thicken after 5-10 minutes.

3.  Continue stirring mixture.  Add vegetable, cheese and spices when mixture is semi-think.

4.  When polenta is sufficiently thick (like porridge) set aside.  Prepare eggs over easy or sunny side up (you want the yolk to be runny enough that it will enervate the polenta when you are eating).

5.  When eggs are done cooking, pour the polenta into bowls.  Place egg(s) on top.

Serves two with a fair amount of leftover polenta.

Something is still missing from the recipe.  I think it needs to be more savory.  I tried adding bacon with the egg and that wasn't quite sufficient (though you could just substitute the bacon for the egg).  Perhaps substituting the water for chicken stock (especially if you make your own) would help.  Adding more cheese is always a good idea.

New Music

This starts out a little slow, then picks up a bit, then flies completely off the rails.  The title is, of course, from Twin Peaks.

If you listen, you'll probably notice a bit of an international flair to a lot of the songs on here.  None of it is world music per se.  But since I'm constantly trying to find new, interesting things to listen to, I've been starting to get into music made by artists outside the U.S.  I'm particularly obsessed with Boris, the Japanese band on here.  Their back catalogue is all over the place, ranging from doom metal to relatively mainstream sounding indie rock.

The Radiohead song on the mix is from their recently released collection.  I hesitate to use the word album, since it was released primarily online.  I'm still debating whether or not Radiohead actually understands how internet distribution works, given that they charged money for a digital release that was downloadable for free seconds after the initial release.  I happen to think that the Nine Inch Nails distribution model (release songs for free, make money on peripheral merchandise) makes more sense in 2011, but Radiohead probably knows more about this kind of thing than I do.

As for the content of the collection, I like the song that I put on the mix, but I don't think the whole package is particularly strong.  A lot of the songs seem like fragments or sketches of songs rather than anything fit to be released.  Its worth a listen definitely, but I don't like it nearly as much as any of their actual albums. 

...I'll post another mix soon.  Expect that one to be a bit less crazy.

Action Philosophers!

I might have implied that I am not a fan of objectivism.  The glorious Action Philosopher by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey has a profile of Ayn Rand which outlines why I think her philosophy is so ridiculous.  

From Action Philosophers #2

Shrug

So... this looks absolutely terrible.



Once upon a time I was interested in reading Atlas Shrugged.  Not because of the philosophy behind it but because of how highly regarded it is.  Also.  Pretentious people like it, and I happen to like pretentious things.  Then I picked up a copy of The Fountainhead and realized that Ayn Rand's books are only fiction in the sense that they are a vehicle for made up characters to extoll her philosophy (for 20 pages at a time) in made up situations.  More than that, the philosophy they are extolling so exuberantly (for 20 pages at a time!) is complete garbage.

I'm not saying you are a bad person is you are an adherent to objectivism.  Your belief system is kind of immoral and probably contributed significantly to the current state of the economy, but you might not be a terrible human being.  What I will say is that if you buy into all of Ayn Rand's crap, you probably deserve to have a movie this terrible looking inflicted on you.

...Also. Atlas Shrugged: Part 1?

Part 1 of 3?!

With the first part coming out on Tax Day?!!

I don't think I could like this any less.