Music, music, music . . .

. . . take two.

I watched an Amy Winehouse special last night. That soulful voice is not what I expected. I loved it. But Amy, here's a thought. With that HAIR! and those random tattoos, you not only look like you just fell out of the ugly tree - you hit every branch on the way down. Girl, look in the mirror. Just sayin'.

Music, music, music . . .


. . . all kinds of it. I like it. From Robert Johnson to AC/DC. Ladysmith Black Mombazzo and South African township music. I have four Gregorian chant albums. Mountain music via the Stonemans. Flatt & Scruggs, Allison Krauss, Ralph Stanley and the Cox Family bluegrass. Anything Clapton. Satriani's Surfing with the Alien to Pachelbel's Canon in D major. Ludwig's Piano Sonato No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor (especially the Adagio Sostenuto) to Dark Side with Floyd at The Wall. (Can anyone play more music with fewer notes than Gilmour?)

Waiting for Wilson Pickett with The Committments. Unemployment and Red, Red Wine with UB40. From Winds of Change with the Scorpions to Dust in the Wind by Kansas. Crazy Patsy Kline, Crazy Fine Young Cannibals and Crazy Gnarls Barkley. Guns 'n Roses was One in a Million, but there was that Appetite for Destruction. Offset by Mancini and Days of Wine and Roses and Middler's . . . razor, that leaves the soul to bleed.

Riding the City of New Orleans with Guthrie and Dylan or the big waves with Dick Dale and the Deltones or with Wagner, Robert Duvall and Die Walkure. Standing before the Great Gate of Kiev or the front door of Hotel California or The Hall of the Mountain King. One with Metallica and One For My Baby with Sinatra.

I have tapes or CDs of all of this stuff. The music I don't have is from these guys. That's my dad on the left, a cousin in the center and my grandfather on the right. The photo was taken in 1928 when my dad was 14. I still have the banjo and the guitar. When I was trying to learn to play the guitar when I was in college, I played one song with my grandfather. You Are My Sunshine. I never played a song with my father . . .

This Weekend . . .

. . . in random order.

It's what's for dinner. Stir fried beef, green peppers, carrots, mushrooms and onions in a Mandarin orange sauce of my own invention. Korean-style sticky rice and Fuki on the side. Don't jump to conclusions on the Fuki until you check the last image below.

The idea for this dish did NOT come from that new Chinese cookbook entitled "50 ways to wok your dog."

I have no idea about the species of these birds. They have long necks and long bills, and look like waterfowl. But, I'm not aware of a waterfowl like this that hangs out in trees. This time of year, they congregate by the dozens in the tall trees around our neighborhood.

I won the battle with the evil dishwasher. In fact, I kicked its ass. I pulled it out for the fifth time, pulled the pump apart, installed a new seal and fired it up. No leaks. Zero, zip, nada.

Fu-Ki is the best plum wine on this planet. Bar none.

This Blogger . . .

. . . possibly under the influence, asked me for my Korean marinade recipe. It's used on barbecued ribs, sliced beef or chicken legs. The request isn't so odd, except that she asked in a comment on my blog entry concerning my 9th great-grandfather instead of an email. Well, maybe it's in my email . . . I haven't looked lately.

Anyhoo, here it is.

6 chicken legs, skin on.

Marinade:
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup soy sauce
2 stalks green onions, finely chopped
3 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs toasted sesame seeds
1 tbs sesame oil
½ tsp Accent
½ tsp black pepper

- Blast all the marinade ingredients in a blender.
- With a sharp knife, score the chicken legs to the bone in five or six places.
- Marinate the chicken legs overnight in the refrigerator.
- Cook quickly on a grill or under a broiler, turning frequently so the sugared marinade doesn't burn.

The same marinade can be used on beef short ribs . . .

- Butterfly the short ribs.
- Beat the bejesus out of the meat with a meat tenderizer or the back of a cleaver.
- Marinate overnight in the fridge.
- Cook on a grill.

. . . or on strips of sirloin or other prime cut of beef.

- Cut the flank steak across the grain into thin strips about a half inch wide.
- Marinate overnight in the fridge.
- Cook on a skewer on a grill, or in a very hot wok.
- If you use a wok, add a few more chopped green onions when the beef is about done.

Any of these dishes must, and I repeat MUST be accompanied with kimchi!

Speaking of . . .

. . . Sir Leonard Halliday, this is a painting (author unknown, at least to me). His family crest is in the upper left corner.



I am not herald enough to blazon accurately, but I think this arms is blazoned as:

Sable, three helmets visored or in profile argent, within a bordure or

The translation, I believe, is: on a black shield with a gold border, three silver helmets with the gold visors closed, viewed in profile.

This blogger . . .

. . . who happens to be a much better wordsmith than I, reminded me of a strange branch on our family tree. Only one of several strange branches, that is.

My 9th great-grandfather, Sir Leonard Halliday, was Lord Mayor of London in the year 1605, during the reign of James I.

1605 was also the year of the "Gunpowder Plot." Few Americans know much about this plot beyond the connection to the movie "V for Vendetta," and I doubt they made the connection to the November 5 premiere. For some reason, however, I have never forgotten this little poem from when I was a child. I suspect my grandmother or aunt taught it to me:

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I know of no reason
Why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.

I know there's another verse or two, but I don't remember, remember them. Is that failure treasonous?

Mrs. Bulldog . . .

. . . got fixed today. No, not THAT. She has had carpal tunnel syndrome, predominately in her right front paw. She had to go through some non-invasive treatment first (our insurance company's requirement), which mostly involved wrist braces. That didn't work, and before she was cleared for surgery, it became quite a bit worse - including some deterioration of muscles in her hand.

We showed up at a new, and very nicely run ambulatory surgery center at 0600 this morning, and she was out by 0730. The surgeon said it was a simple surgery, and that it went quite well. Although, he would have liked to have taken care of it quite a bit sooner. As it is, it may take six months to get most of the strength back in her hand.

She doesn't seem to have much pain, although I suspect Tylox has a role in that.



This is how they do it, although I don't believe her incision is that severe. We will find out Saturday when the dressing comes off.

In any case, I have KP duty for a while - not that I mind. She would do the same for me . . . and has.