Can't . . . Do . . . Plaid!

THIS was not the lunch of the day. This was the lunch of yesterday. That was the day before I went in for the installation of a permanent crown, so I figured I would have something both substantial and dear to my heart. So this is an over-sized portion of fries with gravy, one of my all time favorite things, and about which more at the bottom of this posting.

THIS was not the film of the day. It almost was. I had been meaning to see it, since it got rave reviews, as much for the substance of the film as the music within it. I managed to catch it just in time to catch the scene in the music store when the two leads perform the song "Falling Slowly." It was lovely. It was poignant. Dammit, it was good. But then after that I couldn't watch it. After that it's a celebration of a lower class multicultural melting pot that I just didn't buy. And what's with the guy auditioning via scratchy, crappy cassette tapes when he's right there in person. And why'd he @#$% up that otherwise perfectly fine Takamine six-string? I didn't get it. I just didn't get it. And I mean it sincerely when I ask that anybody out there who gets it-- or maybe has some idea why I don't get it-- please, speak up.


THIS ended up being the movie of the day-- and again, this was yesterday-- not only because I got it, but because there is something perversely fascinating about watching Casino on the USA Network. Not only did they have a whole heaping, steaming TON of @#$%'s to dub over, they were absolutely precious about doing it. I started trying to collect examples of what they were substuting for various profanities-- not just the @#$%'s,* but also the few &^%$'s and $#*&'s scattered here and there-- but I found myself quickly losing track. I mean, after all, the thing is almost a year long, and the profanity flows freely throughout. But it was just about exactly what I was in the mood for. Suffice it to say: Yippie Kai Yay, Mellon Farmer.

"Mellon Farmer" was going to be the title of this entry, but I thought the quote from the Chameleon from the super-hero satire The Tick was funnier, under the circumstances.

The concept or fries with gravy is something I first became aware of through the movie Diner. As far as I knew, it was a Yankee thing, but it sounded . . . Well, it sounded good. I think I first managed to try such a thing while in college, one of those classic situations when they just happened to have both fries and gravy available in the cafeteria on the same night. (This is the same way I found out that a sausage and cheese omlette could be topped with chili, which I would have thought I would have come around to independently, but there it is.) A few years back, I discovered that the crappy little local diner where I usually had breakfast on Saturdays would serve fries with gravy if I asked for it, so it became a fairly regular option if I stopped in there for lunch. Since them, I have found that I can do this at home, and it provides quite the substantial comfort meal, especially since when I make it at home I get to control the portions, the proportion of fries to gravy, and I throw in a layer of shredded cheese. Perfect.

The beer of the day was Saranac, a Black & Tan followed by an IPA. 'nuff said.

* @#$% is my euphemism for "fuck." I seem to think it's funny because I use the exact same symbol for each letter every single time. I don't think anyone else has caught on to this gag yet, so it's only funny to me, especially since, having dissected it, I no longer have a viable frog.