5 July, 2009

Another day at the farm.

  • Me: What were you doing with that cow over there?
  • Farmer: I saw that she had a prolapsed cervix. Popped it back in.
25 June, 2009
Chocolate-Scented Stamps Released in France | Serious Eats


Last month France’s postal service La Poste released limited edition chocolate-themed stamps to celebrate the 400th anniversary of chocolate’s arrival in France in 1609. Each stamp in the ten-stamp set illustrates a different point in chocolate history. Even better, they smell like chocolate! If you’re in France, buy them at the post office or online.

A reminder to myself to buy a set.

Chocolate-Scented Stamps Released in France | Serious Eats

Last month France’s postal service La Poste released limited edition chocolate-themed stamps to celebrate the 400th anniversary of chocolate’s arrival in France in 1609. Each stamp in the ten-stamp set illustrates a different point in chocolate history. Even better, they smell like chocolate! If you’re in France, buy them at the post office or online.
A reminder to myself to buy a set.

24 June, 2009
Some Twitter-esque food updates from the lower countries:

In Amsterdam, fast food comes out of a wall. (Above) 

Stroopwafels are the one redeeming feature of Dutch cuisine. 
Harring: raw herring with raw onions, or automatic breath-stinker. 
The “cafes” smell like marijuana and there is cannabis beer. 
Gouda (pronounced howda) tastes like smoked sausage. 

[Photoblogging fail: I forgot to bring the cord connecting my camera to the computer, so the above photo isn’t mine. As always, thanks Internet.]

Some Twitter-esque food updates from the lower countries:

  • In Amsterdam, fast food comes out of a wall. (Above)
  • Stroopwafels are the one redeeming feature of Dutch cuisine.
  • Harring: raw herring with raw onions, or automatic breath-stinker.
  • The “cafes” smell like marijuana and there is cannabis beer.
  • Gouda (pronounced howda) tastes like smoked sausage.

[Photoblogging fail: I forgot to bring the cord connecting my camera to the computer, so the above photo isn’t mine. As always, thanks Internet.]

24 June, 2009

Yogurt is universal yet varies greatly among countries

American: synthetic
Chinese: sweetened milk
Dutch: soupy
Greek: creamy and smooth
Icelandic: dense, slightly sweet
23 June, 2009

Is it possible, finally, for one human being to achieve perfect understanding of another?
We can invest enormous time and energy in serious efforts to know another person, but in the end, how close are we able to come to that person’s essence? We convince ourselves that we know the other person well, but do we really know anything important about anyone?

Haruki Marukami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

I’ve always thought this answer to be no, and it sometimes bothers me. But really, isn’t it better this way?

I read the entire 607 page book between Boston and Amsterdam. The last time I had such a long, intense reading session was sometime in elementary school. It was so engrossing and I had no glowing screens to distract me. I want to say something profound about it— it’s the type of book that prods people that way — but maybe attempting that after an effective all-nighter is futile. I may not have any special powers like Malta Kano, but I see more Murakami in my future.

23 June, 2009
Novel Idea | Bathroom Reading - The Moment Blog - NYTimes.com


Who says print is dead? Koji Suzuki, the Tokyo-based author of smash-hit horror novels like the “The Ring,” has found a new publishing medium: toilet paper. Suzuki has teamed with Hayashi Paper Company, which makes novelty printed paper products for public restrooms, to manufacture rolls of toilet tissue stamped with a nine-chapter horror novella called “Drop.” The story, about a goblin living in a public restroom, places the reader at the center of the tale, and each roll contains several copies of the novella so that you can easily pick up the narrative where you left off. 

Solves the icky problem of leaving/bringing reading material into the bathroom. The resourceful Japanese!

Novel Idea | Bathroom Reading - The Moment Blog - NYTimes.com

Who says print is dead? Koji Suzuki, the Tokyo-based author of smash-hit horror novels like the “The Ring,” has found a new publishing medium: toilet paper. Suzuki has teamed with Hayashi Paper Company, which makes novelty printed paper products for public restrooms, to manufacture rolls of toilet tissue stamped with a nine-chapter horror novella called “Drop.” The story, about a goblin living in a public restroom, places the reader at the center of the tale, and each roll contains several copies of the novella so that you can easily pick up the narrative where you left off.
Solves the icky problem of leaving/bringing reading material into the bathroom. The resourceful Japanese!

23 June, 2009

8 Hours in Reykjavik Airport

(I agreed this ridiculous overnight layover because the ticket was cheap, and I’m a cash-poor, time-rich student. Also, it was in Iceland. If I can’t actually go there, this is the next best thing!)

Have you ever seen an empty airport? It’s eerie. Unlike public spaces such as schools or malls that run on a set schedule, airports are a temporal limbo that shouldn’t belong to any particular time zone. Yet the Reykjavik Ariport had functionally such down by the time I arrived at 11:50 Greenwich Mean Time, and when I took a walk around later, I saw exactly four people around the entire airport.

Also, the sun never set. At its darkest was the ghostly, grey glow of post-twilight. Empty and ghostly, the scene felt very apocalyptic.

On a lighter note, the employees whiz around the airport on scooters. Whee!

23 June, 2009

Amsterdam, Cologne, Ilfracombe, London, Oxford, Paris, Reykjavik (!)

This is, more or less, my itinerary for the next two months. I am incredibly excited and incredibly nervous embarking on this journey. It’s so cliche, isn’t it? Backpacking through Europe, the Grand Tour. My visions are Europe are so clouded by childhood dreams and Hollywood images, I’m having a hard time sorting out exactly what I’m trying to do here on this continent.

It’s not terribly well planned either, despite my initial attempts at a trip spreadsheet, so there will be a fair amount of roaming around. Except for concrete plans at Ilfracombe where I will be working on a sheep farm (yes me, I know) and Oxford where I’ll be studying Darwin and evolutionary bio, my plans are in flux. This is okay because I believe in adventure, not plans. I hope to return to American poorer in cash but richer in experience.

If you live or have been to any of these places, I’d love to here from you about things to do! Send me a note to jinxyte@gmail.com. Especially we’ve always had this passive follower/followee relationship — I’ve traveled 5000 kilometers, meet me halfway.

P.S. Is this an alphabetical list or a chronological list? It’s both! Actually, that is kind of weird and not planned.

19 June, 2009
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

Devendra Banhart - Little Yellow Spider

This song came up on the radio as we pulled into the parking lot, and I made everyone stay in the car to listen to the rest of it. I’m sure glad we did! A song with lyrics like “Hey there mister happy squid, you mooooooove so psy-che-delically” can’t be anything other than awesome. Though Liz and Karm may disagree, haha.

19 June, 2009

Los Colorados - Hot & cold (via oltsya)

An Ukrainian polka band covers Katy Perry’s Hot N Cold. Been sitting on this for a while, but just too awesome not to share.

18 June, 2009
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

Discovery - So Insane

Discovery is a side project featuring Rostam Batmangli of Vampire Weekend, Wes Miles of Ra Ra Riot, and um, Autotune, rumors of whose death have been greatly exaggerated. Electropop is so much fun, why haven’t I been always listening to it?