. Unsere Doppelgänger

You know where to find us... Come out & play!

. Birthday Bundt

This bundt pan is as old as me today.
But my birthday cake is not.

. Treat or Treat

Run out of election inspiration? Commuting worn you down? If only you had something to listen to that would inspire you to vote after all that driving... Well, we just so happen to know someone who has far too much motivation & inspiration for her own good. Her essay chosen out of a thousand million submissions to be published in MoveOn's 50 Ways to Love Your Country, and she got to record her essay for the audio book version. And we know her. And she has generously offered us a copy to give away on our humble blog.

Think you're worthy? Post your need, merit or voting might today, or even make your submission grammatically correct to prove you survived this administration. The most profound entry will be chosen in a drunken stupor election evening.

-------
11/04 UPDATE: We had a strong tie between Sean the Canadian, who posted a mighty blog-comment roughly 5 seconds after this posting, & Tina in Rhode Island, who articulated 6 long bullet points in her favor, using her close-ties with Rod Stewart as a closing argument. Both were indisputably winning submissions, so both were chosen as winners by the author extroidenaire, herself.

. Seiko's Fingers

. SF Open Studios

If you haven't passed out after watching Saturday morning cartoons & eating your sugary chocolate cocobombs, come visit me at SF Open Studios this weekend.

I will be at Clara Street Studios with fellow Kala printmakers Jack Fahnestock & Dennis Johnson, as well as painters Melissa Wagner & Jerry Ververka.

There will be snacks.

. Carla

. Wood & Wine

Dampened white quartered oak smells like wine. Yeah.

. Went to Austin. Got bit.

. Property of the Mesher-Shorey Wedding

Found these in my pocket. Will return them at once.

Smashing wedding.

. Late Night Shopping

(Click to Listen)

. Brunch with Bryce and Eddie

I had brunch at Boogaloos with Bryce and Eddie Izzard.

. Aaaaaaaaaaaaart

We (Nif and me) have things in this exhibition at Downtown Bar and Restaurant in sunny downtown Berkeley.

The Artists' Reception is Monday, Sept 22, 6-9pm. What the hell else are you going to do on a Monday night?

. Nif's Dream

Nif dreamed that she was being attacked by jam. She opened the jar and the jam tried to kill her. She woke up screaming "Smuckers, I hate you! Smuckers, I hate you!" That's the best dream I ever heard. Nif did not like it at all.

. Bhaji on the beach

Nif said there were a hundred Indians on Ocean Beach so we went to see. They were the other kind of Indians. The ones with numbers on their backsides.

. Favourite Beer of the Week

It was my idea to get Hoegaarden. Bryce was going to get a Chimay. But the Hoegaarden was on tap, and Bryce always makes the wrong choices when we eat at Fritjz, so he followed my lead. See how happy it made him. If only more people would do what I say, the world would look like Bryce.

. Finally

We finished animating on 'Madagascar 2'. Here is a countdown I made for our last review with the Directors.

. Frickin Fantastic

Beany tomato thing Nif made for dinner.

. Favourite Beer of the Week

Don De Dieu, meaning "Gift of God" is the last bottle of the fantastically strong 'Unibroue' beers given to me for my birthday by the fantastically strong Canadian, Eric Lessard. This one is named after a boat which arrived in Quebec (a dirty Canadian shantytown famous mostly for Eric Lessard) on my birthday (June 3rd) in 1608. It has been said that such beers (of 9% abv) should be shared amongst friends. Sadly, the Lessards have now returned to Canadia, so I have been forced once again to drink the whole 1pt 9.4fl.oz myself, while my wife labours tirelessly in the kitchen to prepare some beany tomato thing that will no doubt be frickin fantastic.

This beer is creamy and sweet and hoppy and malty and yeasty and seriously I know bugger all about beer but this one is really nice.

. Soupy Norman

Soupy Norman is a Polish soap opera that has been dubbed into English by some funny Irish. This is episode one.

. Favourite Beer of the Week

This is one of those cloudy Belgian-style saison beers that you're supposed to pour slowly or decant into something else first to avoid drinking the bits in the bottom. Whatever.

The label claims that it is both 7.5% ABV and 8.5% ABV. I suspect it is the latter as I was home alone and forced to drink it all myself and became quite inebriated.

It has possibly the ugliest beer label I have ever seen, and it's not even Belgian (it's made in New York) but it makes up for this dirty lie by having a cork like those Canadian beers. Corks are fun! It tastes similarly rich and hoppy to the Unibroues I have had, maybe a little crisper, and the froth on top is not as thick. And it's 1Pt 9.4 fl.oz. And that is all.

. Conclusions

Spent all day studying HDTV reviews. Here are the results of my research:

. Sushi with Susan

We made Sushi with Susan.

. Favourite Beer of the Week

Sam Smiths' Organic Ale is made in Tadcaster which is just off the A64 between Leeds and York where I am from. Like most things in Yorkshire, the brewery has been there since 1758. Sam Smith's more famous uncle, John Smith, made his beer next door to Sam, and liked to hide in his shed and lick magnets, apparently.

This bottle is 1 pint 2.7fl oz, 5% Alc by vol, or ABV as it shall now be known.
Slightly malty, slightly fruity.

Goes great with Sushi with Susan.

. Licky Kiss Face

Sasha is more purrs & licky kisses these days. But she has a reputation to uphold & she still takes a mean picture.

. Normalcy

The unnatural sunny weather has retreated & the fog has returned. Lovely.

. Least Favourite Beer of the Week

My least favourite beer of this week was the second beer I drank while watching Batman Dark Knight at the Sundance Kabuki. I did not know it was such a long movie. And I have never needed to pee more in my life. I seriously thought I was going to damage myself.

. Moustache

. Typography

. Merav

. iPhone Saber

Unleash (or install) the force within your iPhone.

. Losing the War

'Losing the War,' written by Lee Sandlin, was the most interesting & excellent story in Ira Glass' “The New Kings of Nonfiction." But how annoying is it when you reach the end of the piece to find it's an abridged version? Very annoying. No polite teeny tiny 4-point asterisk note at the beginning. Nope, it's at the end, after you've finished it. Or at least thought you had finished it.

Perhaps it was just the odd preposition & extra comma that was removed. But then again, it might have been a big chunk of awesomeness (yes, 'chunk' is the official measurement unit of that silly word 'awesome'). So while I do find this abridged-nonsense exceedingly annoying*, it is likewise exceedingly cool that the author posted the full text on his web site: leesandlin.com.

Long live the internet & self-publishing.

*(original diatribe has been removed due to my ability to mis-convey humorous outrage as being very very angry & general refusal to use 'winkies' to indicate such things)

. Favourite Beer of the Week

St Peter's English Ale is known in England as St Peter's Organic Ale, because everyone in England already knows that St Peter was English, like Jesus. It is brewed in an old Hall made of bits of a nunnery that Henry VIII destroyed while he was killing nuns for doing things all wrong.
And it tastes like beer.

Goes great with scalloped potatoes and grilled asparagus and salad which I have forgotten to make salad dressing for. Damn. And season one of Comic Strip Presents... Five Go Mad in Dorset.

. Rani's birthday party looked like this

And like this:

. Indie Day

We went to a party and Carlos showed us how Cory rides his bicycle.

. Favourite Beer of the Week

Foret is an organic, bottle-conditioned saison ale from Belgiumland. "Bottle conditioned" means its got bits of stuff floating around in it. "Saison" means "season", and that it was originally brewed in the autumn or winter by farm workers who were entitled to 5 liters of it throughout the workday during the harvest season because apparently water was hard to come by. 5 liters is over 10 pints. 10 pints a day! Good lord! This bottle is 1pt. 9.4 fl oz. 7.5% Alc by vol, and has a picture of a unicorn on it.

Goes great with sharp cheeses and other hearty fare, including veggie tempeh indian wraps and Doctor Who season 4.

. Bookworks 2008

The PCBA's triennial artist book exhibition is on display in the San Francisco Main Library's Skylight Gallery. I forgot to post this before the opening reception, so I'm afraid you missed all the free wine. But I'm in it, so wander over if you have time.

. Well-Insulated Espresso

"Cappuccino" means "hood" in Italian, which is why the mafia drink them (see Grand Theft Auto 4, Chapter 17, 'A Froth in the Family'). Named after an order of Franciscan Minor friars, the "Cappuccini," and their brown hoods, the foam on top of the cappuccino acts as an insulator and helps retain the heat of the liquid, allowing it to stay hotter longer.

For world fame amongst the geekiest of baristas, take your closet talents to the World Latte Art Championship in Denmark.

. Favourite Beer of the Week

If, like me, you find yourself with no friends on a Saturday night, I recommend to you - La Fin Du Monde. Made by the people who brought you "Ounibroue 16" and named in honour of the people who thought they'd reached the end of the world when they hit America, it's strong and tasty and triple fermented, whatever the hell that means. Goes great with Lentil and Vegetable Bake and roast potatoes and season two of Gavin and Stacey, and Nif. :)

. Sometimes I dance like this

. Point Reyes

Photos here.

. GTA4

Finished!

. Favourite Beer of the Week

Reinaert Flemish Wild Ale is from Flemland, or Belgium as it is sometimes known, and I like it very much. It is more sparkly and less rich than last week's Favourite Beer of the Week. Let's call it medium bodied. And it is 9% alc./vol, which is weaker than a Unibroue, but still pretty strong compared to most American beer, or piss as it is sometimes known.

. Dish of the Day

Today's Dish of the Day is by Camilla Engman and Karin Eriksson, and was made in Sweden. Other Swedish dishes include knäckebröd, smorgasbord, meatballs, and Ingrid Bergman, whose daughter Isabella Rossellini recently made a series of insect porno movies.

. Favourite Beer of the Week

Unibroue beer is from Chambly in Quebec, the Frenchy bit of Canada. Chambly is known for its canal and large fort. Quebec is known for its Celine Dion and Eric Lessard. "16" is Unibroue's 16th Anniversary Celebration beer. This bottle is a bit over a pint and a half, and 10% alc./vol. And it tastes great. Do you want some? Tough, it's all mine. Ha ha ha ha ha ha.

. Reset 1962

Last weekend I navigated the Hodgson-Lessard party on a 6 mile hike through Tilden Park in Berkeley, and got us lost only twice.

. Favourite Album of the Week

My Favourite Ablum of the Week is Third by Portishead.

Remember when we first heard them? We were at your brother Nick's house on our way to a party, and we were watching TV, and when the commercials came on Nick would mute the sound and turn up the stereo. He had a pre-release copy of "Dummy" because he worked for Richard and Judy and got sent hundreds of CDs every week from bands that wanted him to book them, so he was playing that, and I really liked it. I think we all did. I didn't really like the party, but then I was not one for really liking parties back then, being so shy and self-conscious. Whose party was it anyway? I didn't know anyone there. I suppose they must have been friends of Nick. Was it a BBQ? I remember it was outside and it was cold and dark. I had borrowed one of boy Joe's second-hand coats, because I didn't have a warm coat, and you said it looked like the kind of coat our dads would wear, which made me more self-conscious. I thought you were embarrassed by me, but you were probably just joking.

Thank you for giving me this CD for my birthday. I really like it. And I miss you. But not in a gay way.

. Maria

Veneer [vuh-neer] .noun

-	to give a superficially valuable or pleasing appearance to.
-	a deceptive, superficial show; a façade: a cruel person with a veneer of kindliness.
-	to face or cover (an object) with any material that is more desirable as a surface material than the basic material of the object; to conceal, as something common or crude, with a deceptively attractive outward show.

. 15 x 15

Our front yard is the size of a Mini, squared. It is still a force to be reckoned with — meet my new best friend, The Bear Claw!


Our flowering plum tree's first drupes:


The slimy interlopers who run a tough plant cartel, all the way up the steps to our front door pots. I gently fling them into our neighbors' yard.

. kulebyáka

A Russian pie made with sturgeon, hard-boiled eggs, lentils, rice, mushrooms, and herbs, in a puff pastry shell, and bastardized beyond recognition by Anthony (and Roz Denny's "Best-Ever Vegetarian Cooking" book) with onions, broccoli, vegetarian worcestershire sauce, no eggs or fish, and the wrong kind of pastry. Very nice. I also recommend Roz Denny's "Shepherdess Pie", emasculated by the removal of manly meat products and the substitution of womanly beans and vegetables.

. Big Yawn

About 12 years ago while I was living above my means in a small studio flat in Belsize Park and failing to make it as a writer of anything but bad children's television (and not even doing that very well) I managed to convince a few art schools around the country to employ me as a visiting animation lecturer. The first of these things was somewhere near Cardiff, or maybe Manchester, I forget. I should probably look that up. Anyway, as my short films are generally heavy on the dialogue they asked me to talk about scriptwriting. I know bugger-all about scriptwriting (my scripts are just made up as I go along) so I spent the night before reading Robert Mckee's "Story Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting" and imagining how clever I would sound if I could remember any of it.

The following morning I got on an early train to the north or the west or wherever it was, feeling simultaneously bored, tired and nervous, all of which make me yawn. And during one particularly big yawn, my jaw locked, and I could not close my mouth. For a minute I sat there like an idiot, staring out of the window, thankful that the train was mostly empty and no one seemed to have noticed. I tried putting one hand on top of my head and the other under my chin and pushing, but that didn't get me anywhere. So I pretend-yawned my way down the train and into the toilets to assess the situation privately. In the mirror I could see that my jaw was open extremely wide, and also jutted forwards. It looked ridiculous. I was drooling like an imbecile, and it was beginning to hurt. I wondered briefly what kind of painful surgery I would have to undergo if I ever wanted to close my mouth again. Twenty minutes later we pulled into the station and in a state of mild panic I yawned my way off the train and along the platform. I thought if I could just calm down that my jaw would relax and slide back into place. So I went and hid in the station toilets, which were cold and smelly and covered in handwriting about what time to show up for a good blow-job. I did not calm down and my jaw remained stuck open. I pulled a page out of my sketchbook and wrote on it "Please take me to the nearest accident and emergency hospital." I then yawned my way out of the station, got in the back of a black cab, and handed the note to the driver. He drove me to a hospital in silence, thankfully.

At the hospital I wrote on another piece of paper "I yawned and got my mouth stuck open" and handed it to the woman at reception. She smiled kindly and asked me several questions and I wrote down answers for her. Then I took a chair in the waiting room and waited. By now my jaw hurt like hell, and I had to stare at the ceiling to keep from dribbling all over myself. Some people were sneaking glances at me. After about thirty minutes I was shown into a doctors office. The first doctor who came in was about my age. She looked, laughed, and left. A few minutes later a second doctor appeared and made no mention of the first. He stood behind me, grabbed hold of my jaw, levered it down, and forwards, and somehow unhooked it. My mouth clamped shut and I thought I would never open it again. I took a cab to the college, and taught my crappy animation class. At least I had something to talk about.

Not long after this I moved to California where the sandwiches are very large, and I have to be careful.

. Hilary on DVD

You can now buy my crusty old stop-motion short "Hilary" as part of this smashing box-set, or as part of this even more smashing set of box sets. Or if you can't handle NTSC, you can get this slightly less smashing PAL disc.

Please note, I receive no money from the proceeds of these DVD sales. If you would like me to receive money, please just send it straight to me. I will not send you a DVD in return, but I will be grateful, and will probably write a thank you note.

. Cardiac Insult

The 10-mile Dipsea Trail to Stinson Beach climbs in & out of heavy fog as you hike between the Muir Woods valley floor, Cardiac Hill, Insult Hill, & the sea shore. There is no hiding from the overall 4,400-foot elevation change.

This viewpoint is where I left my knee caps.

. 1987 - 2008

. Simon's stag night

On Saturday I walked down hill to Kevan and Robyn's new house and had a glass of water and a ginger cookie and a cup of herbal tea with Simon, while Robyn and Tonia went plant shopping, and Kevan attempted a daring getaway from the Liberty City police along the Algonquin-Dukes Expressway in a flat-bed truck. At the time it seemed like a curious choice of vehicle, given its limited acceleration and poor turning circle, but it all came right in the end, and Little Jacob the Jamaican drug dealer was safely returned to the Homebrew Cafe.

Then we went downtown in a cab and met Bob and Will at the Metreon and watched Iron Man. They all liked it.

Then we went for drinks at the Marriott. We all liked those. And dinner at Farina, which was delicious.

Then I walked back up the hill again to our house. I got as far as 24th and Noe and was just thinking about how far and up I had to go when the number 48 bus passed, so I got on it.

Then I fed the cats again and joined Alex and his friend Steven at the Francis International Airport where we dramatically failed to rescue someone from something or other, due in no small part to Alex repeatedly blowing us all up with his hand grenades.