Friday, August 14, 2009

Weekend (by res ipsa loquitur)

If you're in LA, go see Marc Maron, the neurotic brainiac and nerve center of the late great Morning Sedition , at the Upright Citizens Brigade.

In New York, see Mother: The Soundtrack at the Upright Citizens Brigade. Bring your iPod.

In honor of Les Paul, take in a movie: It Might Get Loud. My favorite line in the NYT Les Paul obituary:
Mr. Paul, whose original name was Lester William Polsfuss, was born on June 9, 1915, in Waukesha, Wis. His childhood piano teacher wrote to his mother, “Your boy, Lester, will never learn music.”
Walk this boardwalk. Yes -- in Staten Island. The views are terrific.

Take comfort in the knowledge that advertiser after advertiser after advertiser is dumping Glenn Beck.

Catch up on serious reading you might have missed this week: Barbara Ehrenreich's Times opinion, Is It Now a Crime to Be Poor? John H. Richardson's Esquire article, When Did America Turn into a Bunch of Raving Lunatics? and this Human Rights Watch/ACLU report about the disproportionate assault corporal punishment inflicted on disabled children.

Cook. Here's something to do with the eggplant and basil from your garden.

1 medium eggplant
olive oil
feta or goat cheese
salt and pepper
slivered basil

Preheat your broiler Scrub the eggplant and trim off the top. Cut the eggplant into thick (1/2" - 3/4") slices. Brush each side with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put the eggplant on a cookie sheet that's been covered with foil. Let brown under the broiler. Keep an eye on it: you want it browned, not burnt. Flip the slices. Let the second side brown. Remove the cookie sheet from the broiler. Put a dollop of either feta or goat cheese on the top (anywhere from 1 tsp. to 1 Tbl. depending on your preference). Back under the broiler until the cheese melts. Top with slivered basil.