India

I received an amazing package from my brother in India today. Check out the packaging. All the shirts and whatnot that he sent us were wrapped in cloth, which was then sewn and sealed with wax (presumably to prevent anyone from tampering with the package's contents, though also perhaps to strengthen the stitching).

Eggs

A visual demonstration of the marked difference between truly farm fresh eggs and store bought eggs. In this case, even the store bought are cage free and organic. Note, however, the lovely, rich yellow color of the local egg as compared to the two store eggs. The taste is just as different too.

Road

Nearly back in Asheville after some time away for christmas. I have a busy couple of days ahead of me preparing for Sirius.B's New Years Eve show. For more information and tickets, go to www.siriusbmusic.com.

Viva Mexico

We just enjoyed some Mexican food at a restaurant in West Virginia called "Casa Gonzalez 3". Surprisingly, it was quite delicious. And, we had a great time chatting and joking with the waiters there....

Ah...West Virginia...like a little
Mexican outpost just off of Route 81.

Back in Asheville tomorrow night...Our holiday trip has been wonderful, but I sure am ready to get home.

Seltzer

My friend Joey Sheehan thinks that I am strange because I enjoy seltzer. When we go to a bar and the night has progressed and we're feeling that whiskey is the way to go, I will usually order a whiskey on the rocks with a side of soda water...I enjoy the stuff--what can I say? He always makes fun of this order.

At home, I always have plenty of Seltzer at hand...or I don't, but then I'm sad.

Today, at Beth's grandmother's house, I had some seltzer, of the venerable brand, Polar.

IT WAS AMAZING!!!

So I bought some more to bring home.

JP's

Tonight we met up with Beth's grandmother and continued our culinary travels around Mass. We visited my favorite restaurant in the area, JP's, for a delicious lobster roll...

Lobster rolls, for the uninitiated, are hot dog buns filled with lobster salad. As of a year ago, I had never even heard of these delicious treats, but I have had the great luck to have been introduced to them at JP's, a place that appears to be at least regionally known for their lobster rolls.

The establishment itself is a funny place, dark and cavernous and filled with mostly old people. It stands just next door to an Indian grocery store in a strip mall in Westborough, MA. No natural light enters JP's, as instead of windows, JP's only has wood paneling.

Lack of natural light, however, does not seem to have affected negatively their cooking skills. Their lobster salad is light, simple, and delicious. They use little mayonnaise and little else in the way of flavoring, though I have been known to put quite a bit of hot sauce on mine.

It was, in short, delicious. I will be sure to visit again next visit, as always...

Brunch

We had some friends over for brunch today at my mother in law's house. Unfortunately, about half of the invited guests were unable to make it, due to their sick children. We did get to hang with a couple of people though, and ate some fantastic food.

The menu:

Banana bread
Spanish tortilla (potato omelette)
broccoli rabe
Mt Mansfield Havarti cheese
Canadian bacon
Fruit

Note the brand of cheese. Our friend brought it from Vermont. She got it at a farmer's market in Stowe. It was amazing. You can find them on Facebook here.

Also note the tortilla. It did not photograph well, but it was the best one I have ever made. 'TWas delicious.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas

Here's an early Christmas gift from my niece, Teagan. She's nearly four.

Peaktures

Beth's meringue handiwork is impeccable. This, my friends, is why I married her.

(before)



(after broiling)

More cookies

Cookies

How we rock the Christmas cookies...

Santa

Pet Store

At the pet store, trying to get my dog a bath before visiting family...

And the fire alarm goes off! All customers are evacuated, fire trucks arrive, staff rushes to shuttle the dogs to their own cars...

All this in twenty two degree weather.

PJ on Tour

Check out my brother PJ's new blog on NJ.com.Read it here. Or, check out his normal blog here.

New f'in York

Here's a picture of a guy being really New York. He has stepped out of his car in stopped traffic to bluster about, flap his hands, and peek from his tippy-toed vantage point to see what is going on. In the next picture, which is less clear, he is standing on the edge of his open door, still peering toward the cause of the jam (a garbage truck).

New York Morning

This morning, some Hispanic ladies at a supermarket here in Brooklyn (we're staying with a friend here) started talking about me in Spanish as I stood in line. I spoke back to them, and asked what they were saying about me. "You look like Victorino," they told me. "You know, the one from the soap opera."

I did not, in fact, have any idea who Victorino was. It turns out that there are three. I think that I'm supposed to be the one in the middle. Awesome.

victorino

The Brooklyn Federal Courthouse, AM

As Beth sees me...

A bedtime pirate doodle

Headed North

We are headed North for Christmas, and I thought that I would share some photos of the trip so far.

First, pictures by Beth, meant to show me how ridiculous my hair and mustache currently are. They only succeeded in showing me how cool I look. Yesterday she rated my hair a 450 on a scale of one to ten of hair size.




Collards at a flea market on the outskirts of Raleigh, where we stopped to see my folks.



Two men, twins I believe, who were wearing identical jeans and jackets. Weirdos.



Cheesy country signage.



More cheesy country signage.




Man rapelling from a building in Raleigh.



Check back for more soon. Happy holidays!

My Morning Robot

Drawing

Drying my pants

Asheville Weather

Today the snow in the backyard looks this this...


Yesterday this is all there was...until today this was by far the most snow I had ever seen in Asheville.


This is my road today...

Below are some photos of some plates that Beth and I are working on for a friend's parents.