list no.1

transformers who were also porn stars:

bonecrusher
dirt rocket
long haul
nightscream
oilslick
ramjet
ravage
sledge
ultra magnus
wideload

*all names are actual

bechamel croquettes

while visiting spain a couple of weeks ago with some friends, one of, if not the most, memorable things we ate were these croquettes. a thin crispy outer shell that crackles just a little when you bite into it almost saying hi, and then floods your palate with a creamy filling that gives your whole tongue a biiiig hug, that immediately makes your mouth go mmmmmm and hug it right back. and thats just the formalities. i wont even begin to describe the savory love fest that ensues but trust me, it's amazing! and i've had croquettes before, but there were unbelievable. heres how you make them:

get this:
1 stick butter
2/3 cup flour
2 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
bread crumbs
oil to fry with
and something extra to mix into your bechamel like tuna, chicken, boiled egg, etc. (i used tuna)

do this:
in a pan over medium heat, melt the butter. when thats melted add the flour and mix until they are combined. you might need to add a bit of milk to help it along (your milk can be either scalded or not). keep stirring the mixture and adding milk about 1/3 cup at a time, until all the milk is used. stir the mixture until it thickens. add your something extra at this point (i used tuna in oil, which i definitely recommend) and mix it into the batter. you may want to season with some salt at this point too. then put the mixture aside and let it cool for a good 30-45min, it needs to stiffen so you can handle it later.

when your mixture is manageable, place some oil (i used vegetable) in a fryer (or a small pot) and let it heat up at medium heat. then roll a spoonful of the mixture (it should have the shape of a large oblong pill) in a little bit of flour, then coat with egg, then with breadcrumbs, and place it into the oil to cook for about 3-5 minutes.

and thats that. enjoy!

hello em eighty

i spot you through a window while perusing the streets of chinatown. i stare, enchanted, and you, rubicund perfection, stoically ignore my gaze. though amidst companions, i can break your thin facade and see the loneliness inside.

i rush to meet you, heart-in-my-throat, sweat-on-my-palms excitement flooding through me "hey! four ninety five for that one," cries your pimp. unfaltered i defray and carefully escort you out. we walk in silence, hand in hand. your calmness is unnerving and i begin to hasten my pace to fill the growing void of anticipation.

as we arrive, i pray you'll give a glimpse into your self and let me satisfy your innermost desire. you burn for a flame, this much i know, but will mine give you the spark to show me all that i've been yearning for today? with bated breath i bring it to your delicate, thin, fuck! too fast, not ready to let go!

this was our last encounter, you and i. but my hand and yours will keep us whole forevermore.

in progress

college was a bust. education wise at least. barring accreditation-requiring subject matter—medicine, law, education, etc.—i would argue that as being the case for many college graduates. don't me wrong, you do come away with better verbal and quantitative competence, improved cognitive skills and greater political & social values. but, as far attaining knowledge pertinent to your interests (assuming you have them and don't spend most of your college career "undecided") it is very much possible to learn all you need on your own. buy a book and read it. then buy another and read it. and so on. its that easy. frankly, the people i met in college were about the only thing that made it all worthwhile. you can get the same experience of being in college—the people, the clubs, the professors, the classes, the partying—by just hanging out at a college. colleges and universities aren't ranked by the caliber of their education, they're ranked by the caliber of their students, all of whom will only get into schools at their level or below it, either way its diamonds in, diamonds out, garbage in, garbage out. its all up to the individual student how well they'll learn and how willing they are do to so.

in my case, most of what i learn in college (whatever was worth keeping anyway) i learned on my own. for a few reasons, one, i pick things up relatively quickly and the cater-to-the-lowest common-denominator method of teaching at my school kept progress at a snails pace, two, many of the things i wanted to learn were not being taught (thats particular to design though for me), and three, many of the classes i would have loved to take were not part of my particular curriculum and couldn't fit into my schedule, bummer. since graduating college about a year ago, i have probably learned more than in my entire four years there.

college for actual learning is a bit of a toss up. but college as a tool for teaching you how to learn is indispensable.

lets take a spin

or a jaunt, a skip and a hop even, whatever mode of transportation you might prefer. the point is we've got to just go. you see, i've always been the slacker type; things just seem to come pretty naturally to me and thats made me a bit lethargic over the years. i have tended to do things only when they needed to get done: laundry, paying bills, filling the car with gas, napping, chewing, and so forth. and its worked out well for me. i've traveled to many parts of the world, graduated with a b.f.a. + honors (and to those of you who would look down on an art degree with a scoff and an eye roll let me just say, some of you have a point), i've never actually had to apply for a job but always had one, and have, in my opinion, pretty great friends.
currently however, i am a partner in a design studio, two-thousand dollars in debt, and live with my former professor. its been like this for about a year now and to say that i'm just where i want to be in life would be, well, a little inaccurate, so i need to get out of first gear and go. hitchhikers welcome.