Saturday, January 31, 2004

SEVEN BRIEF, UNRELATED ITEMS

1) We were having a fight in the car once recently, Killer and I, a serious one about a serious topic, and one of us or the other said, shut up, and the other person said, you shut up, and then the first person repeated shut up a little louder, and before anyone knew what was happening, we were shouting SHUT UP! over and over at the top of our lungs for a good thirty seconds or so. Very cathartic. When it ended, the fight was over and everybody felt better even though nothing had been resolved.

2) Our favorite song here at Mango Pudding Blues these days is called Fire A Muss Muss Tail, by the Ethiopians circa 1969 or so. Would anybody here be able to tell me what it means?

3) Annie Hall, Manhattan, Hannah and her Sisters and Stardust Memories, all on DVD, all coming from the Ottawa Public Library. Beautiful.

4) Will orange and that greasy olive/avocado/chartreuse green ever go out of style? I don’t know.

5) Um, just back to point #3 for a sec; are you using your public library enough?

6) We’re off to Montreal this weekend and it is our intention to eat some raw beef there, as served by my brother. Carpaccio, or perhaps steak tartare. We ate some raw beef Carpaccio with him and his boyfriend a few weekends ago in Toronto, and boy, was it good.

7) Like most people, we at Mango Pudding Blues have a soft spot for Tony Bennett, and have had for years, really.



Wednesday, January 28, 2004

IF YOU ARE LIKE ME

If you are like me (and I think we must face the facts, dear readers; most of you are exactly like me), and especially if you are in Canada today, you might be suffering the undeniable psychological effects of this bad bitch of a winter. If you are like me, those effects may include various kinds of empty wistfullness, lethargy, absence of snap, sensations of low self-worth, nosebleeds, periods of deep existential doom, strong convictions that your winter coat smells funny, gassiness, insomnia, a tendency to burst into ungovernable rages, self-mutilation, destructive bouts of highly focussed apathy, flakiness of skin and the like.

I just want to remind you; it’s not your fault. Winter really is awful. Just hold on, gentle readers. Just hold on.



Tuesday, January 27, 2004

HEALTH FOOD

We do not, here at Mango Pudding Blues, really partake of the modern obsession with so-called health foods. We do not care. We eat plenty of butter, duck fat, red meat, red wine, hard liquor, liqueurs, rich desserts, brandies, candies, custards, egg yolks, shellfish, fatty cold cuts, absurd cheeses, pastries, icings, gravies, lards, patés, terrines, cakes, cookies, soufflés, moussees, brûlées and puddings, smoked meats, bries, steaks wrapped in bacon, bottles of olive oil, cream soups, sour cream, ice cream, whipped cream, hot buttered rums, elaborate café latte concoctions, tiramisus, madeleines, petit fours, marzipan, gingerbread, roasted fowl, port, figs, sausages, tapas, tapanades and dips.