Food: I Like It (frozen yogurt)

So after my amazing post about shamrock shakes with the appropriately named title "Food: I like it" I decided that oh-so-simple statement should become a regular feature on this blog so I can share with all of you my food creations and discoveries.

My discovery of the day was Sweet Scoops Frozen Yogurt, sold locally here at the grocery store I buy lunch supplies. This New Hampshire based company makes frozen yogurt that is both yummy and healthier for you than ice cream, two things I can support. I saw today that they had some pumpkin flavor frozen yogurt and since I love anything pumpkin, I had to try it.



Rob (my pumpkin fanatic co-worker) and I both dug in today and it was so delicious. It had all of the elements you want out of something that is pumpkin flavored: spiciness, sweetness and a hint of molasses. It really did taste like the pumpkin pie filling but frozen.

Moral of the story. Frozen yogurt is better for you than ice cream and is often just as tasty. Maybe you don't like things pumpkin flavored, but they have other normal flavors like vanilla and chocolate, and, not to mention, if you live in New England, like I do, you should support a local business, like these guys!

Love those Boats!

I love Andy Samberg. I think he's hilarious and his new project The Lonely Island just gives me more outlets to see his ridiculous humor. I just saw his video/song with T-Pain "I'm on a Boat"- classic.

More Propagandhi?

I always like getting more Propagandhi. Their new release is one of those records that I listen to over and over, and I've sort of been cracked out on it recently. All good though. Fast music helps me concentrate.

Anyway, we've seen a bunch of interviews flying through, so I thought I'd highlight the new ones as they come in. Here's a new one from Chicks With Guns.

http://chickswithguns.blogspot.com/2009/02/reality-check-5-minutes-with.html

Food: I Like It

It's not a secret to those who know me that I love food. I love cooking it, eating it, watching TV programs about it, I just love it. Luckily, I've managed to keep my weight reasonable and not look like I love food that much. Either way, I often like to share my cooking stories and take pictures of my cooking conquests and a lot of friends and I enjoy making sure we share good food info when appropriate, so now I thought I'd do the same here.

It recently has come to my intention that this is out on the market:



To be honest, I don't even know what that means really. I mean, I do know I LOVE popcorn more than most other snacks (insert note: you should never go to the movies with me and plan on eating shared popcorn if you are hungry, you should probably just get your own) but I'm not sure how they are going to create popcorn to taste like corn on the cob. Does that mean it will be juicy? Strange.

And finally, my other food tip for the day. March is only a few days away and yes, March means Shamrock Shakes at McDonald's. As a child, I always looked forward to this time of year for the Shamrock Shake because a) it is a milkshake b) I'm quasi-Irish and it is called Shamrock and c) it's peppermint yummy. Over the last few years, the Shamrock shake (like many of the seasonal and variety shakes our buddy Ronald had concocted) have gone by the wayside, much like this dude:



However, last year I stumbled upon this Shamrock Shake Finder. Although the website is pretty ghetto and looks a little outdated, it actually did find me a Shamrock Shake in my town and boy, was it tasty. I hope I am lucky enough to find one again this year....

Scrimshaw

Last night I went to Johnny D's in Davis Square for bar trivia and mythical free pizza. I say mythical because when we went to get the free pizza, they mean bartender dude told us he was out and it would be a half hour before he had more. So, I decided to ask our waitress for a regular menu (since we were at a restaurant) and she gave me a bunch of local takeout menus and told me that on Mondays, they don't serve food, but I could place an order with any of these takeout places and they'd deliver, just tell them you are at table #9. Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?!?!?!

Even though our trivia team, "This is Happening" (inside joke, not witty pop-culture reference), didn't win, I feel I really rocked it for us, knowing almost an entire sheet of African American TV actors real names and the shows they were on, knowing the Girl Scouts were founded by Juliette Gordon Lowe (glad that Girl Scout Handbook reading finally came in handy) and, as this post is entitled, randomly remembering at the last second that the method of etching on whale bones and elephant tusks made popular by sailors was called scrimshaw.

In short, I rule. In case you had any doubts, this is obviously proof. HAHAHAHAHA.

Oscar Recap

Even though I didn't see all the big movies this year, I decided to watch the Oscars for lack of other stimulus. It was somewhat entertaining and added as nice background fuzz while doing other things. Pretty predictable though (Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire, Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, Best Actress: Kate Winslet). Was kind of bummed that Mickey Rourke didn't win best actor though, thought he deserved that, although Sean Penn did kick ass in Milk.

The best parts of the night were definitely the short film with the dudes from Pineapple Express, Ben Stiller channeling Joaquin Phoenix, and the big musical performance with Beyonce (yes my guilty pleasure is Beyonce). Check out the clips below.

Goodnight, Rose....

Those of you who know me know I LOVE Ryan Adams (see multiple previous posts) and so of course I was at his Boston show this past weekend. When it comes to Ryan, I haven't missed a show within a 2 hour radius since 2004, and one time, I even drove 5 hours to see him open for up Oasis (insert you calling me a freak here.)

Anyways, so the show was at the Orpheum and I was really excited because he has been saying that after this tour ends, he's not going to be playing with the Cardinals any longer and for health/personal reasons going on hiatus, and this obviously makes me angry. All of that aside, the show was, as I expected, really good. In fact, I haven't seen a bad show since Sept. 2007 in Portland, ME when there were "sound problems" and the show ended abruptly with him storming off stage (thanks by the way, I didn't drive like 2.5 hours after work to go see you or anything, and Lance Armstrong was there and I'm sure he wasn't pleased either!). The set was overall good and even had a few surprises, like the absence of "Magnolia Mountain" and the addition of one of my favorite Heartbreaker songs "Oh My Sweet Carolina." He played very few songs off the new album, but the ones he did I enjoyed, so it all worked out.

I will have to say though, my absolute hands down highlight of the night was FINALLY getting to see him perform his rendition of "Down in a Hole" by Alice in Chains. I had always heard other fans talk about it and I had never seen it and was beginning to get a little, well, jealous. Partially because I hadn't seen it and it seemed like EVERYONE else had, but also because I actually legitimately like Alice in Chains (yes, I know, but hey, in Upstate, NY in 1993 that was the shit).

So Ryan, take your hiatus. Marry Mandy Moore. Write your books of poetry. Maybe one day our paths will cross again. And until then, thanks for making this possible last show a good one.

(insert blurry picture here that I took but was too far away to get anything better)

The ONLY Reason To Watch The Oscars This Year

Is this...

Status Update: away (Bang Bang, Camaro.)

I ask you this question: if Bang Camaro had a catch phrase, what would it be?
(Answer in the comments.)

Ok, I've fallen painfully behind the posting curve with our blog. Even if I don't have an opinion on who Ryan Adams is wiping his crazy on, and I missed Lost this week, and the last 4 years, I still feel like I'm neglecting Hyperbola. I did want to mention my love for Bang Camaro.

I knew nothing about them before their last record, and if hadn't been for the Planetary CMJ party, I'm afraid I still would have missed them altogether. (It's true, I would tell you if I was just shamelessly plugging Planetary.) So I have an affinity for rock on the more ridiculous side. Poison. Enuff Z Nuff. The Bullet Boys. And not that Bang Camaro wear leopard print spandex or anything, but it's arena rock at it's finest, which I really appreciate. You laugh, but it's true. There's a long history of huge acts that this type of music comes from. Led Zepplin. Alice Cooper. Iggy Pop. David Bowie. All these acts didn't care what people thought, they just did it, and if you bought into it, it was incredible. When you didn't, then you didn't.

So I ask you this question: if Bang Camaro had a catch phrase, what would it be?
(Answer in the comments.)

For inspiration, check this out:

Nanerpus!

Disturbing commercial. But it makes me laugh everytime!

LOST: WTF

I mean, could it be any more intense? Last night's episode was SO good, I don't even know what to say really.....

A Classic

Are there many movies better than this one? I think not.

Valentine's Day Recap

Valentine's Day can either bring out the best or worst in people. To me, it shouldn't matter if you're single or attached, surely there is someone out there who loves you and someone out there you love, be it a pet, a friend or a parent, whatever. Sure, you should try and show the people in your life you care about them and love them every day of the year, but then again, if we didn't have holidays, we wouldn't find excuses to do something "special", right? Who knows.

Since I'm sure you've been anxiously awaiting to read about my Valentine's Day, here is the recap. I slept in and exchanged gifts with the man-friend. He got me this super awesome book with craft ideas, which is perfect, because I love crafts. Be on the lookout for pictures of completed crafts in the coming months. I had decided a few weeks ago that we should go to the aquarium for the "big day" because I was able to finally reserve a discount coupon from the library so we could get in for $8 each (which, in total, is cheaper than the regular admission price for one adult). I really enjoy going to the New England Aquarium because my favorite animals are penguins, and they have a rookery there (rookery = place they hatch things).

After a quick lunch at the Faneuil Hall marketplace (mmm....soup) we made our way over to the aquarium where we had to wait outside in line for an HOUR to get in. It actually wasn't that bad, but it sounds cooler when I say it dramatically. At the midway-ish point, they gave us free hot cocoa (which mine was more like cold chocolate milk) and these packages of goldfish-shaped graham crackers. I really enjoyed these, but then again, when do I say no to tasty treats?

We realize after getting in to the second waiting tent area that part of the reason there was such a hold up was that they were making each group of people take a picture (that they were hoping you'd buy later). I didn't want a picture, nor did I want to pose for one, because had they not set this up, we could have probably gotten in earlier. Such is life. We made a goofy face and peace signs and ruined a perfectly good photo-op. Go us.

Eventually, we made our way in and from there, it was pretty awesome. We saw a ton of neat fish and nautical birds and mammals. They even had two giant stingrays about the size of a rug, which I imagine were sort of like the one that killed Steve Irwin. Maybe not, that's just my guess. Needless to say, it was big enough I could have wrapped myself in it like a burrito.

Obviously for me, the highlight of the day was the penguins, as I mentioned, they are my favorite animal. They're just so darn cute! And, they're the perfect animal to admire on this day of love, as they are monogamous (science tidbit of the day).


(yes, i took this picture)

After that, we had an early dinner at this place in Back Bay called Charleys. It was pretty good - yummy food, affordable and a nice, saloon-like atmosphere. The waiter even gave me a rose because I was a lady and on Valentine's Day, you give ladies roses, duh. Upon leaving, a group of teenagers passed the man-friend and I and all the girls in the group saw said rose and continued to go "awwwwwwwww" and thus, man-friend looks like a hero. Go man-friend, go!

All in all, it was a lovely day and in reality, not much different than other days in which we go out and do things then eat food, well, minus that whole rose thing and a gift. But either way, it was fun. I hope you all had a nice day too.

Ryan Adams - How Could You!

"I'm a romantic; a sentimental person thinks things will last, a romantic person hopes against hope that they won't." - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Ok, so anyone who knows me knows that I am, perhaps the world's worst, Ryan Adams Apologist. I know, why do I apologize for this guy? He's known for being a jerk, a primadona, a baby etc but I don't know, I just love him, and his music. Well, most of the time. He's had a few doozies. But that's not the point!

So anyways, it is all over the news that he is engaged to Mandy Moore and my facebook inbox, gmail inbox, work inbox and IM system have been flooded with messages the last 18 hours about the news (because you know, everyone knows I'm the ultimate apologist). This all comes shortly after the news that he is putting his musical career on hiatus. Coincidence? I think not.

Here's why Ryan Adams shouldn't get married to Mandy Moore (and no, its not the reason you expect me to give that sounds something like "because he should be marrying me har har har"). Simply, Ryan Adams shouldn't marry Mandy Moore because I don't believe he can create another great album if he's happily married, and maybe that makes me selfish, but I think that blows. All of his best work is based on the premise of immense heartbreak and suffering, and if he marries this cute, super nice girl who takes care of him despite all of his insanity, how can he possibly craft another tune to rip at my heartstrings? Who will I turn to now for sad bastard laments on the days I'm feeling low?

Selfish, I know. But this is it, I can't hold it back. And normally I'm one of those people who LOVES the idea of people falling in love and getting married (I'm a, as F. Scott Fitzgerald would say, sentimental person) but in this case, I have to side with Fitzgerald and his definition of a romantic, and hope against hope that this won't last.

And so, in my final attempt to show my selfish disapproval, I will post an unflattering picture of the couple someone sent me today. Take that you happy people!

Where's Joaquin?

hahahahahahahahahahahahahah! pricelesss.

Death From a Box

Took a lovely trip over to Coolidge Corner in Boston yesterday. Did a little volunteering with the elderly, had some lunch, went into some stores; a wonderful day. Until I happened upon this games store called Eureka!.

I was browsing the puzzle boxes and the salesman immediately points out this simple box (much like the one shown) with a little elephant picture on top, and is adamant about me buying it and figuring it out.

Of course I have to figure it out and purchase it. The guy said he cracked it in 10 minutes and it's only one move to get it open (but of course he's an expert at these things). I get home do a little cleaning, than try and figure out this box. A couple hours goes by and I'm completely frustrated to no end. A couple friends stop by and suddenly what started out as a peaceful, relaxing night becomes this hostile setting of college students who are infuriated and completely caught up by the fact that this stupid little puzzle box won't open.

Everyone went home unhappy and feeling pathetic, plus the box is still not open. I'm starting to feel like I've been duped and that guy is now sitting with my money, an evil smile and thinking how stupid we probably all are.

If I still don't open it in a week, I'm taking a hammer to it.

I Donated Today, Did You?????

That's right - our good friends Propagandhi are forward thinkers, human rights and animal activists and fans of calling people wieners and other fun terms of endearment. Even though the economy blows, these guys still fight the good fight and are good people, supporting organizations that reflect their beliefs such as Partners in Health, Peta2 and Sea Shepherd (recently featured on the Animal Planet Show "Whale Wars" - which is very entertaining). And, they're asking you good people to help out as well, and in return, you'll be rewarded with two new songs from their upcoming album Supporting Caste.

Even though I already have access to the songs for free, I gave a donation to Partners in Health, because it is the right thing to do. The beauty of this download for donation is that you can choose which organization fits you best, so if you're not into the whole Peta thing, you don't have to be etc, which I can totally get down with, and you should too.

So really, as the band says, "Don’t be a fuckin’ cheapskate either, you skinflint-tight-wad-Scrooge-McDuck motherfucker." Give a $1, give $2, or be a "fucking champ" like me and give $10. I mean, chances are, you'd waste that money on cheap beer or burritos at some point this week anyway, so just this one time, do the right thing and support one of your favorite bands do some good in this world.

Christian Bale - My Hero

I mean, this is just hilarious.

Sometimes, I Like To Read Cartoons

So once in a great while, between reading CNN and doing work, I treat myself to the occasional non-music/non-work related blog or two to try and enjoy world outside of the cosmic bubble known as work and the music industry. I visit PostSecret every Sunday for the week's new secrets and I visit Natalie Dee for my daily laugh at goofy little cartoons.

What makes these cartoons so great? A lot of things really. I started reading last fall after I saw a mention of the site in the Metro and they just made me laugh. They are usually simple and often depict silly things that aren't necessarily real, and other times they hit the nail on the head with something you come across in daily life. One of my favorites I found in the archives had someone patting Glen Danzig on the head and he was shorter than them wearing a mesh shirt. It's priceless because Danzig is short and he wears mesh shirts and I love Danzig! It's so good.

So you should check it out. I doubt the way I described the cartoons really enticed you to go check them out, so you should just see them for yourself. I enjoy them and hey, that has to count for something right?

Grammy's

Superbowl?

I don't know what this bowl is or why it's so super, but the one commercial that I tuned into was absolutely ridiculous and extremely enjoyable. I especially appreciated how it just keeps going, you think it's going to be over every time, but nope! Tricky.

The Snuggie - Pure Evil?

The Snuggie - Pure Evil? That's the question I ask of you.

One of my co-workers has become an infomercial junkie and over the last few months ordered both the Shamwow and the Snuggie and even dressed up like the Shamwow guy for Halloween. Why? Because it is ridiculous, obviously. We've all been anxiously awaiting the day that the snuggie would actually arrive because the commercial is so ridiculous, we really had see if the product was that silly in real life.

And that answer is yes.

I had heard rumors that the Snuggie was akin to a backwards bathrobe but after trying one on, I'd say it is more like a blanket with arms. Huge, giant, draping arms. Now, I know I am petite (5'2") but if they are going to market something one size fits all and suggest it is good for children, they should consider tapering the length and sleeve proportions, as when I tried the "garment" on, it looked like I was a three year old trying on my mother's shoes. It was so long and bulky and over-sized, I'm sure if i ever attempted to walk in it I'd trip and die. Forget wearing it to your favorite sporting event like they propose in the ad, if I took one step off the couch this ugly cult robe would become my funeral shroud.

So, outside of the fact that it is basically a blanket with arms, it's not even a good quality blanket. I'm sure it would keep you warm if you chose to wrap yourself up in it, but the material itself is pretty shoddy and thin and I'm pretty sure I've seen better quality blankets sold at Ikea for $3.99.

Needless to say, the smallest person in the office trying the over-sized blanket robe death thing got a lot of laughs and I decided that I looked much like a cult leader or some sort of monster in the thing as opposed to someone who looked comfortable or "snuggied."

Sigh, TV infomercials, how you've made a mockery of me. You are indeed, pure evil. I'll stick to real blankets for now thanks.

Here is a picture for you because I'm sure you were wondering what a snuggie monster would look like it.

Oh hello blog....

Hey Blog,

do you remember me? i'm jess pye. you remember me from some quality posts about Lost, The Boston Red Sox, Wally the Green Monster and cooking. you may not remember me at all.

well anywho, for those of you who don't know me, here is your formal introduction: i'm jess pye. i'll be doing the whole new media thing from now on. aren't you excited?

about me...hmm....well...

without making this sound too much like an online dating profile, i am:

*from upstate, NY (and by that, i mean Central New York, for those of you who know the difference)
*a Ryan Adams apologist.
*really in to cooking and making new dishes and recipes. so far the one that has gotten the best review from my test kitchen is my ricotta-stuffed, bacon wrapped chicken (because you can't deny the awesomeness of meats, wrapped in bacon)
*a Boston Red Sox fan, although i grew up in new york (yes, yes, i know, boooo, i'm a traiter, blah blah blah). blame it on trot nixon.
*really really in to tea...i probably drink 4-5 cups of it a day.
*into world travel but have only been to Canada, Ireland, England and France. This April I will be cruising from Puerto Rico to Aruba, Curacao, st. Maarten and St. Thomas
*a huge fan of Glen Danzig, and not in an ironic sort of way.
*fond of going to the movies and eating all of the popcorn and yelling at the screen.
*like most girls, obsessed with shoes, but i generally like flat ones that are sensible, but in an abundance.
*into other bands other than Ryan Adams including, but not limited too: Cursive, The Misfits, Iron and Wine, Portugal. The Man, Cloud Cult, Josh Rouse, Josh Ritter, Jawbreaker, Small Brown Bike, Polar Bear Club, Chuck Ragan, Hot Water Music, Rocky Votolato, Sun Kil Moon and other things that either fall in to the "guy who goes by his own name" or "bearded guys playing Post Hardcore" categories.

So, I guess that is a little bit about me, in case you were curious. And if you're even more curious, you can ask me for more!

until next time...

<3