Stuff (NY Boroughs Edition)

[koganbot]

--Over the last six months I have discovered flavor packets, or whatever they're called - you know those packets where you add contents to two mashed-up avocados to create guacamole, or you toss foodbits into a pan and you stir fry them and meanwhile add contents of packet to one-third cup water plus soy sauce which you then throw on top of foodbits, or you get dried ingredients for "turkey gravy" (except I would not be caught dead with a packet of turkey gravy, so if I die and one is in my hand, it was planted there, and the death should be treated as suspicious). Actually, my basic discovery is curry paste. It is excellent. What you do is you chop up food stuff and put the food stuff into a sauce pan and then you add a cup of water and the contents of curry paste packet* and you stir it all together and cook for 25 minutes. Curry paste is delicious with any kind of food that isn't ice cream (actually, might work with that too, but I haven't tried it), and you should actually put twice as much food in as they recommend or else you will be swimming in curry juice. Serve over rice.

--Reading the author bios at the back of Da Capo's Best Music Writing 2006, I see that Ann Powers, whom I've met, has something in common with Ashlee Simpson, whom I've not met: Ann's daughter is named Rebecca Brooklyn Weisbard; Ashlee's son is named Bronx Mowgli Wentz. Hurrah for the boroughs of New York City!

--It snowed a couple of inches yesterday. Melted by sundown, however.

--Swine flu etiquette: when the person near you coughs into her feverish hand and a few minutes later, upon being introduced to you, offers her hand for a handshake, do you (1) run away screaming, "No, you are infected and I am going to die," or (2) shake her hand, say pleased to meet you, and unobtrusively but quickly head to the nearest rest room and wash your hands? (I chose alternative 2. I hope I don't die. If I do die, the culprit may well place a packet of dehydrated turkey gravy in my hand, to divert suspicion.)

--Remarkably nonsensationalist, nonpanicky coverage so far, considering that we're all going to die.

--Don't tell people to "cover their mouth" when they cough or sneeze. Tell them to cough or sneeze into a kleenex or into their upper shirtsleeve, but also specifically tell them not to sneeze into their bare hands, since they will then spread the germs to anything they touch and we will all die.

--Health professionals posting as guests at Obsidian Wings give useful practical advice on what we should be doing now so that we will be ready in the event of an epidemic. Included is the advice to "Prepare for the possibility of staying in your home." I wonder if by this they mean getting a Twitter account.

*Albertsons carries curry paste from Kitchens Of India.

Comments

[petronia.livejournal.com]

Curry paste is even better if you add canned coconut milk instead of water (although it sticks to the bottom of the pot easily; also saturated fat).

The Chinese flavouring packets are great, one can do pretty much anything a Chinese restaurant can do now. XD

It was nearly thirty degrees Celsius on the east coast!

[edgeofwhatever.livejournal.com]

Remarkably nonsensationalist, nonpanicky coverage so far, considering that we're all going to die.

I see you missed yesterday's "KILLER FLU!!!" NY Post cover.

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

Mmm, coconut milk :) that's exactly what I did last night. Hothothot Thai green curry paste + fridge leftovers + coconut milk = nomnomnom

[koganbot]

Ah! The New York Post! The mere mention of the name brings back feelings from my New York days. I don't know if anything will ever surpass HEADLESS WOMAN IN TOPLESS BAR. And there was the AIDS article where they claimed that experts were warning about the extinction of the species. (Didn't really read through that one; perhaps they cited hitherto and subsequently unknown studies showing that the preservation of the species depended on promiscuous sex and the sharing of needles.)

[koganbot]

Well, it's currently 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18.33 Celsius); Denver's been known to shift from something like 80 to 15 (26.5 to -9.4 Celsius) in less than 24 hours, though that extreme case was before I moved here. I wouldn't be surprised if Kansas and Nebraska were even more extreme (the nearby Rockies are a moderating influence on the weather in eastern Colorado).

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

FrankFrankFrank, tonight's episode of CSI guest starred Taylor Swift! She had FOUR different haircuts in it.

I am unbothered about swine flu except for the nagging possibility that I might die before I finish my Hollyoaks musical, although this possibility was reasonably high before the swine flu thing.

[koganbot]

O, woe, I ne have TV pas.

Can she act? She emoted terrifically in the White Horse video (if that link doesn't play in Britain, try this one).

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I've just realised that Tori Amos cancelled her gig yesterday because she was ill which means she probably has swine flu which means I will get it off her tomorrow :(

[justfanoe.livejournal.com]

According to Wikipedia it killed 152 out of over 2000 that got it. That's less than 8%. I like my chances.

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

My German friend told me that "swine flu" in German is "Schweinegrippe" (schvai-neh-grip-peh). This is all I can refer to it as now. (Although at one point I accidentally called it "schvanz grippe," which is something very different indeed.)

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

If she will go round suckling pigs:

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

She was doing a stroppy teenager quite well. "Moooooom I HATE you I HATE you" etc. She also managed to lie still when she was meant to be dead.