Pasta Salad

I was recently tasked with bringing a salad for a pot luck luncheon at work. It was made clear by the powers that be that my usual method of food preparation of buying something on the way to work was not acceptable. So, I buckled down and made a pasta salad. To everyone's great surprise it turned out quite well. So, as actually requested by some co-workers, is the recipe

Chipotle's Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 box of pasta (I prefer penne, but it doesn't matter)
1 red pepper
1 orange pepper
1 red onion
a couple of big handfuls of fresh spinach
some olive oil
1 small can sliced black olives (I should probably upgrade here)
1 can kidney beans (I don't use the whole can)
1 small can corn
feta cheese (I use a pretty big chunk)
Paul Newman's Balsamic Vinagrette Salad Dressing

Cook pasta. Chop peppers and onion into a size you prefer (I like big chunks). Sautee peppers and onions until they start to soften in the olive oil. When they are almost ready, add a couple of generous handfuls of spinach and cook until spinach shrivels. Pour veggies over pasta. Add olives, kidney beans, corn and feta cheese. Add salad dressing to taste.

More Daily Show Brilliance

Field Trip: Brett Dennen

I underestimated the power of having a song on Scrubs. The Belly Up was unexpectedly (at least to me) packed, so I wasn't able get my prime viewing spot. But I did land close enough. It was a very interesting and eclectic crowd including a signficant number of time travelers from a 1972 Grateful Dead concert.

Dennen is at the end of a marathon tour and was obviously a bit fried. To his credit he has some personality and as performer he knows how to work a crowd. It was an enjoyable show.

Legacy cover: Peaceful Easy Feeling

An Interesting Graph

Wasn't This a Movie?

Some dude in San Francisco is wearing a camera 24/7 and streaming it on his web site. I guess it can't be any worse than watching LOST.

Justin TV

I will say that those behind justin.tv have created an excellent web site with all the required Web 2.0 bells and whistles. They have a good chance of getting some traction and perhaps get a little more than their allotted 15 minutes.

Demetri Martin ...

... cracks me up.

Field Trip: Sondre Lerche

I made my way up to the Belly Up last night for a very good triple header.

Thomas Dybdahl led off. He has a very good voice and an awkward Norwegian charm that is quite appealing.

Next up was Willy Mason who did the earnest singer songwriter thing quite well. Mason was backed by his band of twelve year olds to good effect.

Lerche popped up on my radar a couple months ago, but I debated whether to pry myself off the couch for his mid-week set. What clinched the deal was a description in a blog that described SL as an Norwegian Ryan Adams. After watching SL and despite Adams and Lerche's different musical beginnings (country/rock vs. pop/jazz) I get the comparison. It goes well beyond the fact that they're both kinda goofy and have bad haircuts. They share some similar mannerisms and the ablity to play, write, and sing.

On a Serious Note

How come Chuck Klosterman is about the only sportwriter in America asking the right questions about drugs and sports? You can read his latest column on the subject here: Why We Look the Other Way

Twitter Redux

Carly's on Twitter.

As I wrote before I'm not sure what what problem Twitter solves, but it sure has the attention of some Tech trendsetters (Laporte, Scoble etc.) I think at the very least it will replace MySpace comments and bulletins as a communication tool as soon as it allows you to form some groups.

Anyway, the purpose of this post it to say that the mash of Twitter and Google Maps, Twittervision is strangely addictive.

Link of the Day

Here's a pretty big list of "secret" fast food menu items: Secret Menu Items

Accepted Again

Carly receved further validation of her supreme awesomeness today when she found out that she had been accepted to UC Davis. Odds are that she'll decline the invitation, but being asked is always nice.

Imminent Domain??

The photo is of a house in China. Evidently the owner of the house refused to sell to the developers of huge retail project, so the developers decided to excavate the site anyway.

The Next Big Thing??

I'm not quite sure what use Twiiter serves, but it sure is getting a lot buzz on the intertubes. From what I can tell it's part miniblog, part IM, and part MySpace comment.

Like I said, I'm not sure of Twitter's use. but I'm signed up. Screen name: Chipotle

Update: Here's an article that attempts to explain Twitter's utility. Habits of Sucessful Twitter Users

Tosh and Mick

There have been countless musical performances on SNL, but very few memorable ones. Here's one:

On Radar: Sondre Lerche

He's playing the Bellyup on March 20.

Sondre Lerche

Rockin' the Free World

Not much to say, so I'll just post a little Neil Young rockin' the free world with Pearl Jam in 1993 on the MTV Music Video Awards. Not bad for an old guy.

Best Team Name Ever

Unfortunately, this minor league hockey team no longer exisits but it still gets my vote for best team name ever.

Congratulations!!!

Yahoo!! Carly has been accepted to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

This is big news as there is a fair chance this will be her school of choice. I've got my fingers crossed, because if indeed she becomes a Bronco it will be a good excuse of fulfilling my lifelong dream of spending the night in the Caveman Room (fomerly known as The Flinstone Room) at the Madonna Inn.

And besides does Berekely have a Bubblegum Alley?

Ning

This is pretty cool stuff.

Marc Andreesen's (the Netscape guy) latest company, Ning, provides the platform where you can create your own social network in a matter of minutes. Ning provides all the bells and whistles (forums, blogs, movie and picture uploads, etc. etc.) in a very user friendly context. It is very customizable and would be my recommendation for any group (church, team, club etc.) that was looking to strengthen or create a community

LOST

I quit.