Adventures with Dr. Lady Cutie Troublemaker

Mom just sent this to me. It’s a scan of what I think is the best picture ever taken of me. My dad took and developed it when we lived in England:

Just trying out BlogMailr, a new site that lets me post to my blog via email. If you’re seeing this, it worked!

Slate asked the question, “Who Was The Best Rock Band Of The ’80s?” Lots of interesting discussion on Stereogum, but I’ve gotta know the ages of some of these people. Here’s my response/walk down memory lane:

First of all, I wonder what Gary is thinking of when he said that U2 was “cringeworthy” in the 80s. How old is Gary? How old are most of the people in this thread? Boy and October were great albums. Unforgettable Fire was great, and even Joshua Tree had its moments.

All that aside, I’m from Atlanta, and I first saw R.E.M. when I was 12 at an all ages show at the Agora Ballroom in 1983. I’d first heard Chronic Town at my friend Molly’s house. Her sister was at UGA in Athens and had seen R.E.M. at a party. I knew all music had changed for me.

R.E.M. is stellar. I listened to each album 24/7 starting with the day it came out until there was a new one. I did this until about Green, seeing every concert tour they had through that time. They actually used to play 5 shows at the Fox instead of moving to the stadium sized venues (the Omni back in the day). I wouldn’t give that up for the world. I saw U2 twice in the 80s, and their shows were good, but they weren’t REM. Maybe because they were more local, more humble. I adored them.

I’m 36 now. I’m not judging retrospectively… not really. I’m judging from the perspective of someone who listened to both of these bands a LOT through the whole decade as they were evolving. Both were amazing and changed the face of music. Maybe because Bono’s ego was always in the way, and maybe because REM was local… I vote R.E.M.. How could I not? They shaped me.

Election reflection, Nick Park style:

via Karen

Got this in my inbox this morning from the Boston editor at Citysearch. It began by suggesting activities for getting out on this, “our last nice weekend”, then went on to suggest a nice bowl of grits!

Speaking in both geographic and culinary terms, Boston’s about as far away from the Deep South as one can get. With the weather cooling off, transplanted southerners might find themselves jonesing for a steaming bowl of grits. You might say to yourself “what’s a grit?” but a few local spots are in the know and serve them with aplomb.

Magnolia’s Southern Cuisine, a taste of New Orleans in East Cambridge, is famous for its Hoppin’ Shavonne. In this version of the black-eyed pea dish “Hoppin’ John,” the rice is replaced with stone-ground cheese grits and topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano and garlic-marinated tomatoes. In the South End, the Metropolis Café’s popular brunch service always includes grits with one of its dishes (possibly huevos rancheros or spicy chorizo). For a more conventional taste of the south, enjoy a live jazz Sunday brunch with a classic combination of grits, biscuits, and fried chicken at Bob’s Southern Bistro. If you’re on the other side of the Charles, Somerville’s Johnny D’s also has a jazz brunch on Sundays that offers grits.

So the next time you roll out of bed to a chill in the air, skip grandma’s oatmeal and give grits a try.