Posted on by mwhybark

What's funny!

You know what’s funny?

What’s funny is when Ken mocks his failure to gain votes in a weblog awards poll by declaring a boycott of the poll, allowing him to “consider every vote I do not receive in the poll a tacit expression of support,” only to garner comments wholly in support of his boycott.

Now that’s funny!

(I’ve been trying to conceptualize how to bring out a line of Ken Goldstein toys, by the way. I’m still sorta chewing it over, but I thought maybe a plush doll, board game, and line of back-to-school supplies might be nice. Any other ideas?)

Posted on by mwhybark

Fremont After Dark

Last night we met friends at the new-to-us Norm’s for dinner and a couple beers. I had the fish and chips, which was unspectacular and served on, um, potato chips. The chips are made on the premises and were not greasy in the least, so light as to be fluffy; but goddammit, fish-and-chips is NOT fish and potato chips; and the serving was only about half what I was expecting and certainly not enough for an average-sized adult. Otherwise, it was nice to see that there’s a plain-folks type pub in Fremont yet, resisting the tides of money and hooting frat boys that have otherwise adversely affected the texture of the place. Viv had meatloaf which was both a generous serving and very tasty.

After dinner Viv and I walked around a bit and dropped into the entirely empty (one table of customers on a Friday night: bad sign) Blue C Sushi, attracted by the unpopulated expanse of the upstairs bar for a drink. We had some freaky thing that was served at $5.00 ‘a pair’ and involved a blue liquid. I counted eight or nine employees to six customers. The P-I notes that the place is owned by ex-dot-com peeps. Hmmmm.

On the good side of things, the plate prices were extremely moderate, and I noted dishes rotated on the kaiten belt with regularity (although I shudder to think of the wastage that must have happened that night).

I noticed a witty take on the famous Hokusai print of high seas with Mount Fuji in the background, and peering through the murk, made out the signature: ‘kozyndan,’ it said, which amused me because I knew their work. Uprisings is the painting, and it was used as a Giant Robot cover.

After that we were headed back to the car and decided to wander around the cavernous PCC, where I flashed on the idea of a midnight picnic in 40 degree cold by the banks of the beautiful Ship Canal, one thing that Fremont is likely to always have going for it. We got olives, hummus, pita bread, and then Viv scored an awesome find: persimmon pudding, one of two or three foods that are traditional in my homeland of Southern Indiana, persimmon trees being native to the region.

Viv was doubtful about the whole concept (fear of cold being endemic to her tropical peoples) but had a wonderful time complaining about the chill and wondering why we couldn’t sit in the car, concerns I had an equally wonderful time ignoring while feeding her and looking at the lights reflecting on the canal.

There was a real meat-market vibe to most of the bars we strolled by that night – it’s puzzling that the sushi place isn’t drawing the hooting young people in backward baseball caps. Overall, while still disheartened by the changes to Fremont, it was a good night and a pleasant stroll.

Posted on by mwhybark

Reviewing in review

I attended a screening of a film last night for review, and I’ll be cranking out the piece this afternoon. When I watch a film for review I take notes the whole time, and in general I prefer to see the film in complete ignorance of everything about it. This film is a special case, and I hadn’t anticipated how complex it would make the review-development process for me.

In essence, I found myself applying the technical and analytic tools I employ in film-watching for review, as I should, but to a film that I also have had high personal hopes for; doing so inhibited the sense of involvement I would otherwise have expected to experience in viewing the film.

I’ll talk more about this after the review is out, including identifying the film (thoughtful readers should be able to anticipate the title), but for now, I need to do some self-investigation to sort out what to write.

Posted on by mwhybark

Great Balls of Ice

Mysterious ice balls falling from heavens

By MICHAEL WOODS
THE (TOLEDO, OHIO) BLADE

BARCELONA, Spain — A Spanish-American scientific team is monitoring ice events in the United States this winter following research on a baffling phenomenon first detected here.

They are not watching for ordinary ice storms or slick roads, but incidents involving “megacryometeors,” great balls of ice that fall out of the clear blue sky — possibly because of global warming.

I was disappointed that the story didn’t provide accounting of the possibilty that the cores of these oversized ice accretions – big balls, if you will – had been formed in the upper atmosphere around the high-altitude scat of high-flying birds.

These bird droppings could clearly be lofted up quite high in the correct circumstances and then form the cores for the icing process.

Really it seems clear to me, something we’ve known since at least 1963: nowhere on earth can really be safe from aerial bombardment by an ICBM.

Thank you! I’ll be here all week!

[pun stolen from Spider Robinson as used in some Callahan‘s yarn!]

Posted on by mwhybark

Blogger White Elephant Party

Great Googley Moogley! After a stunning and confusing series of reversals, we’re actually going to the Daymented Seattle Blogger White Elephant Party! Hang on to your hats, too, our White Elephant can kick your White Elephant’s patootie from here to Sunday!

Posted on by mwhybark

A heartwarming tale of Xmas joy

Skot of Izzle pfaff! (who is appearing in a Christmas show this year, I must note) shares a charming tale of Christmas joy and the sweet, sweet agape that suffuses America’s bustling, happy retail districts this time of year. Don’t miss this very special Izzle Pfaff – it’s heartwarming fun for the whole family, from paring meter attendant to Grandma!

Posted on by mwhybark

Fruit Detective update

Yesterday, I promised to drop a line to John Seabrook, the author of that amusing New Yorker article about David Karp, the Fruit Detective, in support of an enquiry from a random web surfer concerning information obtained through CBS Sunday Morning concerning a book about the legendary fruit-hunter.

To my surprise, I received an email from none other than the Fruit Detective himself, which I quote below in part:

Hi Mike,

John Seabrook was kind enough to relay your inquiry. I was aware of your site about the NYer article but didn’t realize that it was still attracting interest.

…

I am working on a book of fruit connoisseurship for WW Norton. I’m also saving material for a fruit detective noir thriller, titled Siesta in Dogtown. I appeared briefly on a CBS Sunday Morning program about the Gourmet Institute, a shindig at Gourmet Magazine in late October, where I showcased exotic fruit.

Best regards,
David Karp

So there you have it, fruit fans! A “fruit detective noir thriller!” It appears that a book or two is indeed forthcoming.

This has been your internet headshaking moment for the day.

(UPDATE: John Seabrook, the author of the referenced article, also dropped a line. He is definitely not working on such a book, as “that would certainly drive me crazy.” However, he notes that he had a conversation with Owen Wilson in which the actor noted that he’d turned down the role – presumably of the Fruit Detective – so perhaps Mr. Karp’s thriller will be a film, rather than a book. )

Posted on by mwhybark

Sleuthing the mythical 'Fruit Detective' book

One of my evergreen hit attractants, which favorably recounts the reading experience for an August 2002 issue of The New Yorker and highlights The Fruit Detective by John Seabrook, today generated an interesting query.

My husband is under the impression that there is a book out there called The Fruit Detective that he saw in CBS Sunday Morning. I can’t find it.
Is there a book?

I have no connection to either Mr. Karp or Mr. Seabrook, but the idea that Mr. Seabrook might have expanded his delightful article to a book intrigued me so I did some digging.

I suspected that author Seabrook might very well have embarked on such a course, but did not find reference to it on his considerably updated website. I did find, joyfully, that he’d posted his original story.

CBS Sunday Morning for December 7, 2003 does not appear to record such a story. However, it’s wildly difficult to determine if there is a comprehensive program and segment listing for the show in question. This page, when I linked to it, looked as though it was such a listing; yet the title-bar header for the page said, ‘December 5, 2003’ and the URL, apparently reflecting a date-oriented scheme, says in part ‘1998/07/09.’

The listing does refer to a rerun of a late-November segment called “Fruit of the Vine;” but that’s about winemaking.

So what does Amazon tell us, then? Nothing. Google reveals that Mr. Karp has been writing for various food-world outlets over the past year, but again, alas, no hint of a book.

I shall lodge an enquiry with Mr. Seabrook.

(UPDATE: Answer here)