Howlin' For You

A variety of pooch pics.  Half of them are Shep. At least half. But there are some neighbor dogs or friend dogs or daycare dogs that made their way in there. 

I love Shep, but I love dogs. It can't always just be about him. 

Daycare IG - in the snow. He's probably tired of it too. 

Unknown daycare dog. He got my attention. 
They all did. 

Nightly ritual. 

After dinner, selecting THE toy with which he wants to play. 

Olive and her croissont. 

It's not real. It squeaks. 

Melting. Kind of. But a pretty-ish day to walk. 

Ollie during the P-Town snow storm '26. 

Daycare - no snow. Indoors. Stupid hound eyes make him look sad. 

All that guy-liner. 

Bailey loving the snow. 

Song by: the Black Keys

Arrested for Driving While Blind

I don't know who knows of whom. 

Steve Hofstetter is a comedian. I've only seen him in clips here and there. While everyone in the world has their own Netflix comedy special (not that they should) I can't say if he is at that level. 

Still, he's fairly active on the socials and he's a big ally:  women, Jews, LGBTQ+. Very very anti-MAGA. For that last one alone I love him. 

His clips?  Meh. They seem to deal more with hecklers than show his comedy. But again: ally. Most of the hecklers are misogynistic, antisemitic and / or homophobic. Why they pay to go to his shows is beyond me. 

Hofstetter released this clip yesterday. I was going to hold off to post it, but decided to move my drafted post until later. 

It's not like Kansas was ever on my list of place which to go back, but now there is just another fucking reason to say away. 

While a comedian, this clips is not meant to be funny.  At all. 

Song by: ZZ Top

Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)

Blurgh. 

I woke up at 03:30 last night. This isn't unusual, sometimes - mostly - I go back to sleep for a bit. But something felt off. 

With my new iPhone, I now use it as my bedside clock. The other one never kept time and this way it lets my phone charge all night while showing the correct time. 

But when I awoke, the clock was dark. This in of itself was not unusual. For whatever reason both 710 and I experience this when we put it in 'clock' mode. Usually just a finger tap takes it back to normal, but nothing. No biggie. 

Still, the house felt 'weird'. It's the only way I can explain it. 

As it turns out, the power was out. Not just for us, but for thousands. 

This too didn't seem too strange, as before bedtime the winds were howling. It was a super cold day, but only due to the wind. 

Still, it was dark. No streetlights. No neighbor porch lights. Nothing. No heated toilet seat.  Oh, the hell of it!

Then I thought: oh crap, no easy way to open the garage door. 

Yes, if you could get in it, but we bought a house with a wonky door that is troublesome at best and weirdly installed to fit a space that isn't made for standard doors. 

Oh - and it snowed. 

It wasn't supposed to. But there was plenty of it. So sleep never did come. I got up and tried to find a way into the garage so I could pull the red lever to release the electric garage door.

That was not fun. 

Naturally, I rattled the house. Everyone was up then. Shep didn't know what the hell was going on. He left his own king sized bed to join me outside for a bit. 

710 stayed behind after I left and reported the outage. It turns out it wasn't the wind but someone hit a pole. A pole. Singular. And it took out power to 12,000 residences and businesses. 

That's one important pole. 

It just set the tone for the day.  Not a good one. 

Song by: Arcade Fire

Union of the Snake

You know I wasn't going to watch. 

If you think I can't stomach the news, hearing him for what, 15 or 90 minutes would prove fatal for me. And all of it lies. All of it. 

Now I'm drafting this even before the thing airs, and I'm still saying it is all lies. 

If 7 people watch, he will still say it was THE most watched State of the Union address EVER. 

That said, my friend Craig had a SotU Bingo Card. I'm not sure if he made it or co-opted it, but I'll include it here. 

Obvi you can't use it after the fact, but in what world won't all be filled in?  Well, except Minaj. 

FUCK I HATE HIM. 

Personally, I am not sure I like Dems (congressional ones) boycotting the event. Do exactly what Lauren Bobart and Marjorie Taylor Cunt did a few years back and just stand and shout and boo. Fuck them all. 

Song by: Duran Duran

Snowed In

It's been days since I've drafted a thing. 

Food, Pet and Music posts can be done well in advance if necessary, so in a way, I've had days off. It's been nice. Yet now the pressure is back on to perform. 

Olympics?  Nah. 

BLOTUS stealing $10B right in front of us and no one does a fucking thing? No. 

Puerto Vallarta being under siege after a cartel boss is killed?  Interesting, but it means I'd have to go beyond Morty verbally telling me about it to speak on it with quasi-authority. That seems unnecessary. 

Weather?  

Safe. Topical. Relatable. 

NE Ohio got snow, but not like New York, Massachusetts and parts of the northeastern seaboard experienced. 

While I can't speak with full authority, I have been texting with friend and former blogger, Mike. He of the Cape. He of the town of P. 

I shot him a message before the storm and it seemed he was prepared. He said he had an adequate supply of tequila, so I don't know what else he could have done to get ready. All bases seem to be covered. 

I didn't hear from him most of yesterday, as he didn't answer my texts. I reminded him what the "I" in "IM" meant. He finally shot a message back. 

26" of snow and counting. No power. But they have a propane powered fireplace and stove so they have heat and can eat. 

He sent a pic of them digging out - which I said was adorable, as there was nowhere to go. But I get it, Ollie has to go out to go, so even though he's taller than Shep, I don't know he's 26" tall. So dig out they must. 

I did tell him I was stopping texting, as I'm sure he'd rather not waste what phone charge he had left conversing with me. He didn't fight me on it.  I'm somehow offended though. 

I've seen pics of deserted avenues in Manhattan. I didn't see their snowfall. These last few days I've really tried to steer away from most social media. The NYT is for crosswords, Spelling Bee, Connections and Wordle. Oh, and Strands. 

I don't ever have to leave the Game page. It's perfect. 

But we are two-thirds the way done with Winter. 

.....in theory. 

Song by: Mindy Smith

My Music Monday

I will admit from their debut album, I was a huge huge fan of U2.  That would last up through their fourth disk, the Unforgettable Fire. 

After the Joshua Tree, they became, I dunno.......smug, self-righteous, a bit full of themselves. 

Don't get me wrong, now and then they will turn out great songs, even if the full album is not. Honestly, if I hear "Where the Streets Have No Name" never again, it might be too soon. All that said, now and then I let my XM radio land on their channel and listen for a while. 

Last Wednesday U2 dropped an "Ep" unexpectedly and unannounced. 

I have not listened to it all, but I just feel the need to play it up a little. It is very much real time songs about the U.S. and our shameful goings on, up to reference of Renee Good. So this is as close to real time as one might get. 

I'm not sure CSNY got "Ohio" out that quickly. 

Anyhoo, I'm going with "American Obituary".  It kind of says it all in the title. 

The song is ok. Nothing extraordinary, but it's about the message more than anything else. I don't think anyone from the right is going to be surprised by any of it. I don't think U2 is in danger of losing a huge fan base either.  ....nor do I think they care. 

Cooking with Blobby

I'm not starting a new segment called: Leftovers with Blobby. I don't have it in me. 

Usually, when there are leftovers, they are just that. Something to be reheated and polished off. But sometimes, it is good to repurpose stuff too. 

The other day I made "spaghetti" and meatballs. That is in quotes, because while I thought I was dumping in thin spaghetti to boiling water, it was actually Angel Hair. 

Do you know how much past an entire box of Angel Hair is?  It is a FUCK of a lot. Far too much pasta, not enough sauce - so we just put the additional pasta into container and into the fridge. 

I saw something eons ago on some off-brand cooking show about making old pasta into a frittata. How hard could that be? 

It really wasn't. Save maybe one step. It's quick. It is as minimal ingredients as you can get, but you can expand it as much as you'd like. I found it was a good way to clear out some stuff in the fridge. 

Ingredients 

Required

Leftover pasta. I threw in enough to make it substantial, but I don't think there is a proper amount per se. 

Olive Oil

6-8 large eggs (increase based on pasta amount

Salt

Pepper

Add-Ons

Tomatoes

Garlic

Green Onion

Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

Put generous amount of oil in a cold pan. Heat it up. Add garlic, if using. Let it bloom for 30-60 seconds. 

Add pasta to the skillet. Press down on it, so it flattens against the bottom of the pan and starts to form a unified disk. 

(I forgot to take that pic). 

Crack 6-8 large eggs into a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. I added chopped light and dark green parts of two scallions. Whisk together, incorporating air. 

I also used some cherry tomatoes that I needed to do something with. I forgot to get them in the title image. 

Pour mixture over the pasta. Cook on medium high heat. Use a spatula to move the edges of the pasta and eggs inward a bit. It helps construct the pasta and eggs into a large pancake shape. 

Check to see the eggs are cooked on the bottom - getting firm and obtaining colour. 

Now you gotta flip it.  Using a lid, I inverted the skillet and then slid the uncooked side back into the pan and continued to cook until it browned on the other side. It broke apart a little, but it didn't end up on the floor, so I'm calling it a win. 

Slice however you'd like. 

The TV version I saw was much thicker than this. Mind you, I only used HALF of the leftover angel hair for this recipe. It could have been much much more formidable, but I think I would have needed more eggs. 

I also topped it with parm, but I forgot that pic. 

I did see some folks using pancetta in there too, but you could use lots of things. More herbs, etc. Make it yours. 

I don't think I'd make this from scratch or anything. I'd only do it again with leftovers. But it was a novel way to use a bunch of stuff up. 

Talk to Me

Dogs. Only dogs. 

I wish there were cat pics too, but I can't change the world. I'm only one man. 

Volume UP!  

You've seen pics of Shep wanting to walk. There is an aural portion too, which you never get. Now you do. 

His happy place. 

Shep loves car rides and he gets comfortable enough to settle in where no one but he can use the arm rest. 

Yes, I know my passenger seat is a mess. Running gear and dog stuff. 

A seemingly nondescript pic, but the first time in a long time there is NO snow!

....and shadows. 

I guess Bailey did have a Valentine pic. I just didn't get it in time for last week. 

Oddly - same day as the walk through the woods. We still have piles of snow that have not yet melted. 

Shep LOVES rolling on the icy packed snow. I think it feels good to him. 

Song by: the Record Company

I Don't Know

There are many things at The Ohio State University with Les Wexner's name attached. Almost an entire medical center (which is ginormous) and a center for the arts.  

It had long been rumoured that Les was more into boys than women - and that his marriage to Abigail was one big ruse. 

Perhaps his close friendship (more in a bit) with Jeffrey Epstein got him procurement to said boys, but either way I don't think he liked women. 

Perhaps girls, but not women. 

Before all of this was public, I always though Wexner should have the entire OSU Hospital system rebranded after his empire:  the Victoria Secret Breast Center; the Lane Bryant Center for Bariatric Surgery; even the emergency departments could be called Limited Express. And the plastic surgery center could be called Infrastructure. 

These are only "funny" if you know he owned (owns?) everything under the Limited Brand, which included other places too - like the now defunct Henri Bendel. 

Clearly someone at Ohio State is taking matters into their own hands when seeing Wexner's name. For the record, about every capitalized M on campus is crossed out due to "Michigan", so that's not really vandalism. No. I kid you not. 

The 'pedo' thing wasn't part of the original sign. I mean, the font and font size is way off. 

Still, OSU is holding tight to the things that are named after Wexner. I think leaked video of him penetrating a kid (actually probably penetrated BY a kid) would have to surface before it was a serious discussion. 

Naming rights ain't cheap. 

The governor even chimed in saying his name should not be taken off. Enablers all. 

So Les was deposed yesterday. No special treatment <sarcasm>. He didn't have to come to Washington, they came to Wexner's home in central Ohio - a courtesy given no one else. Oh - no republicunts were there. Not one showed up from whatever oversight committee quizzed Les. 

I kind of admire how they are so committed to doubling down on pedophilia. I mean, there is no limit here for which I can see. I don't even think of video of BLOTUS fingerbanging a nine year old to test "tightness" (yes, it's allegedly in the files) would change one of their minds. Even those with nine year old daughters or granddaughters.   I said "kind of". 

Honestly, I don't believe a word Wexner or his wife says about Epstein. His claim that "I don't remember setting meetings with Jeffrey. Most of the business I had with him was over the phone."  

Bitch, please. 

It seems Epstein got around a billion dollars from Wexner over the years - and that volume of business of "over the phone"?  FUCK YOU. 

And while I don't see it as part of the convo the other day, I do recall at one point Abigail Wexner and Epstein "funding" some charity that doesn't seem to be real, but a way of money laundering. 

According to the Wexners, Epstein 'returned' $100M to the Wexners for alleged inappropriate use. The Wexners never reported him for theft or extortion. Curious at best. 

$100M here, $100M there........at some point it starts to add up. 

What doesn't is anything says about Epstein.  "Barely knew the guy".  "I don't recall meeting him". All that bullshit. 

Wexner also had some bullshit answer about BLOTUS being at Victoria Secret fashion shows. "I always thought it was kind of odd that he was at the fashion show because he had nothing to do with fashion,"

Yeahhhhhh....he and Epstein were at a parading of women wearing bras, panties, a pair of wings and high heels for "the fashion". 

I'm so tried of these fucking liars getting away with everything.  .....but I'm pretty sure I've said that before. 

Song by: Beastie Boys

Rub Me Raw

Maybe something lighter today........

This study would have been more helpful to me, say, 49 years ago. 

But you can't tell a 13 year old boy anything.  Or one 13-30 years old. 

Song by: Warren Zevon

Shut Up

While I don't read the news, it doesn't necessarily mean I don't know what is going on. 

Yesterday, 710 was playing a Stephen Colbert clip in the early morning. Before sunrise. Or oatmeal. I kind of sat there stunned by what he was saying. 

CBS dictated he could not have on a guest - James Talarico, candidate for the Texas senate - on the show nor could he discuss why he was not allowed to have him on the show.

While Talarico was technically not on the broadcast*, Colbert did indeed discuss the reasoning behind it. I mean, what are they gonna do - fire him? 

*Colbert did tape an interview segment with Talarico and put it up on YouTube. 

As CBS is well in the lead to be State Media, clearly they are also trying (and willing) to shape the outcomes of the 2026 mid-term elections. 

Admittedly, I don't know, or of. Talarico, but CBS's (and BLOTUS') maneuver backfired spectacularly. 

I'm assuming many people were unaware of this candidate, are now VERY aware of this candidate. While I don't know him and I don't vote in Texas, fuck it, I threw $20 into his campaign. I have a feeling many might. 

Soooooo.....I'm attaching two clips below:  Colbert's opening where he discusses the FCC and CBS in DETAIL and then the clip with Talarico. 

I don't care if you watch or listen - but play them even if you mute or get up to get a cup of coffee. Get the viewing numbers up. Let CBS and BLOTUS know they fucked up big time.  The opening is pushing 2.8 million views (as of this drafting) and the Talarico one is at 3.3 million. 

As I peruse other Colbert clips, most are in the upper 400-600k. So both of these are HUGE bumps to the normal viewing.

Let's make them larger. Let "them" know we cannot be censored and do not condone it. 

Song by: blink-182

Way of the World

If I haven't mentioned it before:  I hate people. 

Present company excluded. But yeah - overall, people are the worst. 

Again, I do blame this administration for a lot of it. 

Clearly, homophobia, racism, xenophobia, misogyny have always been there, but until 2016 it had kind of been slightly less acceptable to just be outright homophobic, racist xenophobic and mysogynistic. 

All bets are off now. They have been for a while. People are just showing their true colours - and why not? There is seemingly no repercussions for any of this anymore. Zero accountability. 

Take these fine upstanding students at Visalia Redwood High School showing their outward hate in a school photo.

Oh, I'm sure they'll say "it was just a joke". If so - then include the story and photo in your college essays and see how many places accept you. 

No worries - the school is doing a "full investigation". 

Whatevs. 

Here is the sad part. Sadder? Saddest? 

Go to Goooooooogle News. As of last evening when I drafted this, there were only four (!) stories that were there. Then it dropped to a 2019 story of a student arrest. 

See ? No one cares. 

You can't condemn their actions when almost no one is showing said actions. 

And so you know their high education standards, someone might want to tell the folks of Visalia that the Redwoods are a few hundred miles to the northwest of them. They might consider changing the name of the school to the Bigots. 

Fuck them. 

Song by: Tina Turner

My Music Monday

I gotta say, usually I am crafting these My Music Monday posts a day or two before publishing, but the last few weeks, I've been drafting these sometimes weeks (or months!) ahead of time. 

Lately-ish, I've been stumbling upon songs I've heard that I've liked and thought I'd use here. As I am sure I'd forget the artist or song should I wait weeks - or months - to post, I figgered (yes, on purpose) I'd just knock the posts out early and date them for later. 

That said - I know nothing of Carter Vail. 

From what I can gather just from his YouTube channel is it looks like he has joke songs. If those are funny at all - the genre, that is - it is for one or two plays and then they just become annoying. Yes, "Hello Muddah Hello Fuddah" isn't the classic you think it is. 

But Vail popped up in some feed and it looked interesting enough for me to click on that post - which was only a clip of a video. So I searched it out. 

The song  - "6 Feet Under" isn't bad in the slightest. 

I'm like 100% sure I'd never hear it on any XM station to which I listen. Maybe there is an audience out there for him already. I'm assuming it is a him and everyone in the video isn't 'a band'. 

As you can see, I didn't even Goooooooogle him to find out. I like the song, but I'm not that invested.  Clearly. 

Ad of the Month

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we actually watched the Super Bowl, and oddly not for the ads. 

Overall, those aren't as important or surprising as they once were in television history, since most of them (all?) are on the internet days or weeks beforehand. 

But there was one that was important. 

Not funny. Not entertaining. Not obtuse. 

This one is more: poignant. personal. painful. 

What was shown on the Super Bowl was an abbreviated version of what I'm posting. It is (some of) the survivors listed in the Epstein Files. 

I'm applauding any and every one who is still keeping those files alive.  Fuck BLOTUS and all who want to "move on from....". 

How odd that it would be advantageous for those calling for that.  FUCK. THEM. 

Opportunities

I dunno - it's just been one of those unproductive weeks of taking pet pics. Between, work, weather, daycare and a plumber on site, there was not tons of picture taking opportunities. 

Well, I can' only work with what I'm given - or the opportunities I take. 

I want a walk: Stage 1.

We ARE going on a walk: Stage 2. 

710 took these while I was running. Had I been there, Stage 3 would have been his paws on my knees.  Shep's that is, not 710's.

710: "he doesn't ask for much"

Blobby: "no, it's HOW he asks....."

I can't say 'no' to that? 

I am hoping this is the last frigid photo session for a while. 

Allegedly into the 40s next week with rain. Maybe the mounds of snow will disappear. 

Boop!

Song by: Pet Shop Boys

12 of 12

 So I'm doing my 190th 12 of 12.

Normally it is 12 pictures taken on the 12th of the month. Since I only post once per day, you get my images the following day. All pictures taken with my iPhone. Click images to enlarge, if you choose.

Created by Chad Darnell and picked up from, what I can tell, any number of random bloggers who then link back to him and vice versa. Chad is no longer doing this, nor is successor coordinating the linking of other 12 of 12'ers anymore.  

05:55. Not so early morning. It was almost 06:00 !!!

Late for me. 

06:21. Oatmeal prep. 

06:56. Treadmill time. 

5.25 miles. And the guy down there was on MY treadmill, so I had to pick another one. Bother!

07:53. Dante's 10th ring of Hell. 

My glutes need to be firmer, but it hurts my knee.

09:40. About 8 weeks ago I wrote that every 6-8 weeks I cut my head shaving. 

Right on cue. I'd like to say this was the first paper towel I used, but it was not. 

09:48. Stuck around the house as the plumbers were scheduled to be here. 

10:06. Whilst they worked, I took Shep for a very very treacherous walk. 

We had a big half-thaw on Tuesday and then everything refroze, making it worse than before. 

11:32. You know me and my mid-morning snacks. I do love clementines in Winter. 

12:49. Spencer showing me his work, before charing me $700. 

Yes, his sleeve says "Turd Chasers". 

16:09.  Well.....not a bear print. Afternoon dog walk. 

20:12.  Late dinner. 

710 brought in fud, because he worked late. Less said about it the better. 

20:38.  Dolls. 

The good thing about increased dosage of antidepressants is ironically fewer pills. 

....and that wraps this month. 

Lying Cunt

You know, in the UK 'cunt' mean "an unpleasant or objectionable person (regardless of gender)".  That's it. 

They use it a bit more freely than those of us in the U.S..  I somehow love that it's Olivia Colman's favourite word.  ......but I might love Olivia Colman. Period. 

Granted, the U.S. version of 'cunt' is specific to women - right or wrong. 

It is inarguably the worse thing you can call a woman. Ask my parents, when I called my sister it after she purposefully dropped hot liquid in my lap at dinner one evening when I was in high school. They were none to pleased - to say the least. Though I stand by it to this day. 

I made a (figurative) fatal mistake yesterday. I was busy all day and when I got home in late afternoon, I fooooooooolishy logged onto Facebook. 

This is not an exaggeration that Pam Bondi was in almost all of my feed. It seems she testified before congress. Or parts of congress. I read a few things and super immediately regretted my decision(s). 

First off, let's just take a moment to note she raised her hand and was sworn in......"to tell the truth". Irony doesn't even begin to cover that one. 

I'd call Bondi a 'cunt'. But that is unfair to cunts around the world. And yes, I know I used it yesterday for the press secretary - and I stand by that to this day. 

My problem with the word is...........it's not derogatory enough to encapsulate Pam Bondi. 

Another word - to my knowledge - has not yet been coined. 

What little I saw was her blaming others for politicizing the unredacted Epstein files. The very thing she is politicizing.  And lying about - under oath. 

I'm only going to point out one thing with it all - and it was a mistake on the congressional side. They asked a lot about Les Wexner and him being mentioned over 4,000 times (so far). She acknowledged this. Not once (well, that I heard) did they ask her if the DOJ was going to pursue charges of Wexner being a co-conspirator. 

I mean, I know she wouldn't have answered. And if she did, not truthfully. But for fuck sake - put it out there in the record. On the record. 

I'm not sure which one mentioned this tidbit, but said that BLOTUS was mentioned by name (in the reacted files) more times than g-d in the bible. And more than Harry Potter over seven books.  38,000 times and counting. With millions of pages not released. 

Nor did they call her on her statement in 2025 that there were no Epstein files. 

So until she does right - and she won't. And can't at this point can't ever make it up or make it right she will be now and forever be* a CUNT. 

*or until a new word come to light. 

Song by: Brutal Lobotomy.  

no - I don't know or own this song, but I don't have anything in my music liberry that comes close to what the blog entry title needed to be. 

Monkey Wrench

Ugh - if I'm to maintain this 'blog post per day' thing, it means I need to write daily. 

I do love it when I have a lot of things, and I draft 3-4 things in one day and then don't write for 3-4 days. It's kind of nice. 

And I'm a little behind on this only because I didn't want to address it. 

The BLOTUS 'meme' of the Obamas as apes. The White House response - justifying it. As that cunt Leavitt would. You knew she would. 

BTW - aren't memes supposed to be kind of viral?  If so - exactly what "Lion King meme" is / was going around that BLOTUS jumped on the bandwagon? 

Did anyone ask that? I know I haven't seen any memes with the Lion King. Have you?

Oh - and did no one point out to Leavitt that there are no apes in the Lion King? 

My absolute favourite part of it all was the very very very temporary outrage where people insisted he apologize. 

Has ANYONE been paying attention?  

This isn't rhetorical, I'm asking:  has he EVER apologized for anything??? Once???  If so, I need references. Dates, Circumstances. 

I don't actually expect to see any reply to this - as I'm fairly certain 'sorry' isn't in his lexicon. He is a fucking sociopath. Leavitt might actually be worse. 

But seriously - where are the Black leaders?  Where are the Black GOP leaders (if there are any now that Ben Carson isn't around) who have publicly said anything???

Granted, I'm not reading the news so maybe it's happened, but not loud enough where it has seeped through past papers. 

But no - he's not racist. 

Fuck. 

But I'd be remiss if I didn't post someone's response to his post. 

Song by: Foo Fighters

Efecto

Let's give it up for Mr. Bunny !!!!

Or Señor Bunny, as it were. 

I know of Bad Bunny, of course. I've seen him host SNL - you know, via clips the next day on Instagram, like a respectable older man who has a 21:30 bed time. 

I know of his music, but I don't know his music. 

Fuck Chingar - I know like 14 words in Spanish as it is. Most of them probably from hearing Dora the Explorer on in the background - or from me needing to find a rest room whilst in Mexico. Or asking for more tequila, por favor. 

The important phrases!

Suffice to say, I didn't understand a word Bad Bunny sang - and that was, and wasn't, the point. 

His performance and execution seemed flawless. It was a celebration, where weeks and months leading up to it, could have just as easily been a protest performance, and rightfully so. 

The U.S. has an extremely large Hispanic population - the most of them not being "illegals". The best they've gotten at representation at something like this was a J.Lo / Shakira double-bill - and that's just sad. That this administration would like to ignore that fact - and actually cleanse it - a performance like this was essential. 

Bad Bunny showed nothing but love and inclusion, even if not singing in English. It showed in every move he and his performers made.  Right down to his last move. 

.....and you know why it was well intentioned, those MAGAts who did not tune into the 'alternative' halftime show took it as a 'fuck you' to them. 

Two things can be true. 

Yeah - I could have done without Lady Gaga. For being a Latin-themed performance, they could have gotten a non-Italian female singer to have been included. Ricky Martin was a nice touch - as most everything he releases is Spanish language. 

Yes, we made a point to watch the half-time show. I wanted those ratings to go up - and it looked like roughly140 million people watched, which was about 132 million people more than who viewed Kid Rock lip synch!  (or so I heard.)

We also watched the game. Well, until I had to go to bed. 

I'm glad a female owned team who gave $0 to BLOTUS won.  .....Robert Kraft of the Patriots, well...........lots of $$ to BLOTUS and no shock, a sexual predator, or the very best adjacent. But yeah, he likes under aged Asian women "massaging" him in strip mall businesses. 

So yay for Bad Bunny. Months ago I couldn't have told you if he was a good choice or not, but it paid off on every level. I'm happy for him. 

So is Elmo......

And since this administration has cut off funding for the Children's Television Workshop, they can't fuck with Elmo anymore. 

Song by: Bad Bunny 

My Music Monday

Never let it be said that National Public Radio isn't a gem. 

I mean - never buy a book that is featured on Fresh Air. Terry Gross has made bad books sound way too intertesting, certainly much more than they are. 

But it has exposed me to music over the years. 

It was there I first heard Dar Williams back in 1993. It was there I found Mountain Stage, from West Virigina Public Radio, and heard so many artists - though mostly folk and bluegrass. 

KEXP in Seattle exposed me to Kerala Dust. 

Apparently they've been around for years, but via Berlin. They are part art rock, part electronic(a), part just rock rock. 

I've been sampling their stuff, though first heard them via KEXP. The show they put on there - linked here - honestly sounds better than their records, including the track I selected "That's How the Light Gets In".

The rest of which I've been listening is equally low key, electronic semi-monotone. 

There are some early 80s post punk vibes here, but honestly they seem to break into more originality as they go. The lead vocalist has a tenor-baritone (verse-chorus) thing going on, I would say similar to Matt Johnson from The The.  Or maybe more accurately compare him to Matt Berninger from the National. The drums are uncomplicated yet perfect. 

I'm totally digging this. 

Cooking with Blobby

I think I've said it before, but while I love to cook, it is coming up with ideas for dinner that drive me nuts. I get that from my mother. 

Tell me what you want for dinner and it's done. Usually I can come up with something, but now and then I'd like some kind of direction. 

710 shoots me ideas now and then. The other day it was 'Marry Me Chicken'.  

He walked back in the room and I held up my hand to show him my ring saying I didn't actually have to make that. 

And the plan was for me to make Chicken Parm, but I finally looked at this recipe and I already had everything needed to make it, so........what the fuck. Of course, if I did, he'd think he "won".  And I just can't have that. 

Now and then, I give in - and I did. 

I swear Ina has a recipe called this, but I don't think it's the same one. I think there are a lot of recipes out there with this name that aren't the same. 

But let's get into it. 

There are seemingly a lot of ingredients, but putting it together went pretty fast. I know it says 10 minute prep and 50 minute cook, but it didn't seem that long. The biggest part of the prep was grating cheese and butterflying the chicken breasts. 

As always, having things laid out and the ready to go make things go way quicker. 

Ingredients 

Yield: 4 servings (maybe 5)

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or 6 chicken cutlets (about 2¼ pounds total), patted dry 

Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper 

¼ cup all-purpose flour 

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed 

3 tablespoons unsalted butter 

3 garlic cloves, chopped 

1 tablespoon tomato paste 

½ teaspoon dried oregano 

Red-pepper flakes, to taste 

1 cup low-sodium chicken stock 

½ to ¾ cup heavy cream 

½ cup (1½ ounces) grated Parmesan 

⅓ cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil 

Fresh basil, for serving 

Procedure

Step 1 

If using chicken breasts, start from the thickest end and slice each chicken breast in half horizontally so you end up with a total of 6 cutlets (see Tip). Season both sides of the chicken cutlets well with salt and pepper. 

Step 2 

Scatter the flour on a large plate and coat the cutlets, shaking off the excess. Transfer the cutlets to a sheet pan or large plate in a single layer. 

Step 3 

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high. Once hot, reduce the heat to medium and add the butter. As soon as it melts, add the cutlets and cook until golden on one side, about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook the other side until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Do this in batches, if needed, adding more oil, if needed. Transfer the cutlets to a plate or sheet pan. 

Step 4 

Reduce the heat to low, add the garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stirring until the color deepens, about 2 minutes. Add the oregano and red-pepper flakes, to taste. 

Step 5 

Increase the heat to medium, add the stock and bring to a simmer, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan, until the liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. 

Step 6 

Add ½ cup of the cream and warm through, stirring, until it thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Watch the cream closely, reducing the heat if necessary, to maintain a gentle simmer. Stir in the Parmesan and the sun-dried tomatoes. Add more cream, if you like, and season the sauce. 

Step 7 

Place the chicken back in the pan to warm through, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and scatter basil on top.

The dish name is spot on. I mean, I can't marry myself, but fuck this was good. Had someone made this for me, I might have said "I Do!". 

All the flavours meld extremely well, yet some can stand out at the same time. There isn't a lot of any one item (maybe the parm) - though as always, red pepper flakes 'to taste', is always going to have me shaking more in than less. So while it wasn't super spicy, there was a kick. 

710 thought this would be good served over noodles (I had some on the side), but I'm telling you, the sauce to mop up with rustic bread was incredible. 

This goes into a rotation of at least 1-2 x month.