Had the kids out on the 4th for fireworks

REPORT: Alfa Romeo to lead American charge, Fiat 500 to go it alone

Once again, I know it's a Fiat, and I know it's gonna break at some point. Still, I can't really say why but I have to have a ragtop 500 one of these days. I'm really hoping it doesn't get too molested by the DOT, or a restyle before it makes it to these shores, and I'm praying the 1.3 MultiJet diesel powerplant makes it across the pond as well.

One can dream, right?


REPORT: Alfa Romeo to lead American charge, Fiat 500 to go it alone

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It's got to be more likely to happen than me getting one of the most minimalist vehicles I long to have in the garage one day, the Citroen 2CV. Although I did find a place that's importing these cars with a pretty good reputation, reportedly.

Felt like cookin' tonight

So I plucked a bunch of Wally's basil from the porch garden...



And I had picked up a great head of Cauliflower at the supermarket...




I added to the approximately 2 cups of basil above:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (yes, it's Reggiano)
4 fresh cloves of garlic

All that was blended well in the food processor and tossed over a pound of fettuccine pasta. The end result when served with fresh Cauliflower, and a bit of green salad:

Wil seemed to like it:


And he had a hard time staying still in the pictures, but he was smiling because he like daddy's noodles:

Rollin' on the river...

Was out this morning takin' a few cell phone pics of the Cape Fear River. We're experiencing a pretty high tidal cycle this week, and it's kind of cool to see the river so close to overflowing its banks downtown at the moment. Last night the tides caused some pretty minor flooding in some areas, and it'll likely happen again tonight with this evening's tide predicted to be over 5 feet at somewhere around 11 pm.

A couple shots I took over the last couple months, for comparison:

From phone pic 5_22_09

From phone pic 5_22_09

And what it looks like today:

From Phone pics

From Phone pics

From Phone pics

From Phone pics

From Phone pics

So, while it doesn't look too extreme, it is neat to see nature's activities like this. Sadly I won't be able to be downtown to see how high it actually gets tonight, but I'm sure there's going to be pics or webcams available at a couple of the local TV station websites. Just Google up WECT or WWAY.

Not too many posts ago...

I had a couple videos posted featuring 80's hits I loved.

In reading a couple posts and seeing a couple videos today, which interestingly enough began with an odd feature about "World's Most Deadly Model Train Wrecks" on a site that is quite possibly going to be a new favorite of mine, Urlesque, I got sidetracked (pun intended) by another post about a 70's hit from Toto, Afrika... but this time in acapella by a large group and complete with beatbox intro.



Which then led to me tracking down a video for another Split Endz song I saw done acapella a couple weeks back on YouTube, Six Months in a Leaky Boat:



That song's another classic by the Finns, and takes me back, but in reading the comments there I saw the mention of a band that might just bridge the gap between me and my sons, The Wiggles! Just a couple more mouse clicks and there it was, Tim Finn singing Six Months in a Leaky Boat with The Wiggles:



Ahh, serendipity.

Now, where's Jeff?

It should come as old news...

That I finally broke in the grill I got for Christmas this last Saturday night. Yes, it took that long. It's not that I hadn't wanted to, as the new grill is incredible and I couldn't be more grateful to my father in law for a most generous gift.

It's a Weber Performer, and it's about the penultimate charcoal grill! It's got a gas connection, but it's for one of those small disposable propane canisters, and that's only for use when lighting the coals. It doesn't even require a match, as there's a piezo type one button push ignition system. As you can see in the picture, there's also a nice counter space for resting the food and utensils on while cooking. The black trashcan looking bin is a charcoal container that tilts out to the side and helps keep the underside of the grill tidy while keeping the briquettes dry. The wheels are quite easy to roll, and having four points of contact with the ground is much easier, and safer, than the 3 point setup on most Weber kettles. Finally, there's that contraption on the bottom of the kettle. The black stockpot looking piece is an ash-catcher, and the bottom of the two levers is the handle for this, with a simple twist and drop release to remove the thing. The upper lever is the combination kettle bottom vent opener and it also acts as a kind of sweeper, by pushing the spent briquette ash down and out of the bottom vents into the aforementioned ash-catcher. A few side to side sweeps of the vent handle and the ashes all fall down. Cleanup's a breeze! The top grill grate even has flip up sections on either side that allow coals to be added while you're cooking, without having to remove all the food and the grate. There's also thermometer built in to the lid, so you can get an idea of how hot you're cooking, but I found it was a nice gauge to tell when the temp of the coals had started to drop, and when I needed to add more.

This thing is so nice to grill on I felt spoiled using it. Considering I've got a nice cover, and the grill is built like the rest of the Weber lineup, I should be enjoying it for many years to come.

So, What'd I make? Why, ribs, of course, and some chicken. There were a couple hot dogs tossed on the grill as well, for the kids. For both the ribs and chicken I used Weber's recipe for their classic Tangy BBQ Sauce, which is one of those sauces that I'm yet to find someone who doesn't enjoy. I made it on Friday night, and let it rest overnight which I find allows the flavors to mix and mingle a bit. I can't recommend this recipe enough, regardless of what grill you use, or whether it's pork or chicken you're cooking. I will say that I prefer something a little more savory for beef, though. I get a craving for beef ribs from time to time and I hate to say it, but I really like Bullseye sauce for these.

Anyways, the grub was tasty, and I enjoyed myself immensely!

Stretched my legs along the riverfront this morning...

It sure is handy having a camera in the cell phone, but I could use a bit more resolution.

And the highlight of my 80's flashback today is...

Yes, it's cheezey, but god I love that tune.

And just for good measure, my current favorite tune:


08 - Jason Mraz - Coyotes - MyVideo

And Jalopnik's addition to much needed laughter for the day...

The simple joys that Boing Boing brings...