shameful. immoral. wrong.

How can this be allowed?

If OJ, or Casey Anthony, or countless others, could be acquitted due to reasonable doubt, how then, can this man, with so much evidential retraction by witnesses, be sentenced to die? ...nonetheless by way of state-sponsored murder?

heehee

(from here)

unis

Unicorns? Unitards? Unicycles? Non, mes amis - uniforms!
Today's List is a special one, because as promised a couple weeks ago, it is brought to you by a guess blogger! The List is fantastic, combining sports and fashion. Our guest blogger is none other than ... G! Known for his extensive knowledge of everything sports, he has a profound gift for commenting on just the right things, often just as the Sportscenter analyst or play-by-play announcer has the same thought on the tip of his/her tongue. This post probably has some of the most factually valid content on this blog thus far. It is my pleasure to present his first of hopefully numerous guest postings.

: = : = : = : = : = :

== TOP 6 UNIFORMS IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL ==

There has been a lot of talk and buzz recently about uniforms in college football thanks to the unis worn by The University of Maryland earlier this month:

 

(photo cred: here)

My personal opinion is that these unis are terrible, mostly because of the seizure inducing helmet.  The jersey is actually pretty cool but a solid color helmet with an image of the terrapin would have worked better.  These radical uniform designs are a new and unstoppable trend in college football and intended to increase fan interest and of course revenue through increased jersey sales.

Its important to note that most of the schools that are choosing to go the radical route for uniforms are schools without a rich tradition in football.  If that's what these schools need to do to garner attention to their programs, then so be it.  Call me a traditionalist, but you deserve attention for winning. Or you can be like Notre Dame and get media adoration for blowing leads, losing big games, losing not so big games and getting over hyped year after year.  

With that being said, here are my top six uniforms in college football. You'll notice that most of the unis have largely gone unchanged through the years and are accompanied by success on the field as well (with one notable exception, see team that appears at No. 4).  

No. 1 MICHIGAN

(photo cred: here)

While this is a picture of their retro throwback unis, the classic winged helmet is still worn and the maize and blue color combo looks great.

No. 2 PENN STATE

(photo cred: here)

Basically unchanged throughout the years, this is a classic uniform that I actually found boring as a little kid.  While I think the white jerseys aren't a good look with the white pants, the navy blue jerseys with the white pants and white helmet that has only a blue stripe down the middle is classic college football.  The only thing they could do to make this uni better is using a gray face mask grill instead of the blue one they currently use.

No. 3.  ALABAMA

(photo cred: here)

Yet another classic example of a uni that has not changed through the years.  Unlike Penn State, they utilize the gray face mask grill and also put the players numbers on the sides of the helmet.  The numbers on the side of the helmet are such a little detail that adds a lot, that as far as I can think are only used by Alabama and occasionally by the San Diego Chargers when they wear their powder blue throwbacks.

No. 4 NOTRE DAME

(photo cred: here)

It should be noted that NAVY used to wear unis that were very similar to this classic looking uniform but the gold helmets (where real gold is actually sprayed into the helmets) and navy blue jerseys are instantly recognizable as belonging to Notre Dame.  

No. 5 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 

(photo cred: here)

The scarlet and gold color combo looks great with the helmets that have gone, for the most part, unchanged except for a brief period in the late 80's - early 90's where they had a scarlet face mask grill.  The logo on the side of the helmet is a basic but classic profile of a Trojan.  Common theme among all these teams on the list so far?  Unchanged through the years.  With all the new unis being sported by schools nowadays, its nice to know you can count on continuity and consistency when it comes to these top 5 teams.

No. 6 UNIVERSITY OF OREGON

(photo cred: here)

The sole school on this list to have unis that are not considered "Traditional."  Nike founder Phil Knight is an Oregon grad and huge booster to the school. Oregon benefits from this by having top notch athletic facilities and cool unis for the football team.  Oregon has at least 513 different helmet, jersey and pant combinations and Nike has designed some of the unis to actually make the team look faster by placing bright colors around the athletes fastest moving parts (shins, feet and wrists).  The neon yellow works well with either the schools traditional green and often used black or gray.  Since the inception of these multi-combination unis, Oregon football has also improved their performance on the field, becoming consistent challengers to win the Pac 10/12 and making it all they way to the NCAA championship game last year.  Coincidence??

national rum punch day...

...is today! I'll try to remember that at happy hour today.
So over the weekend I made my way to ShopHouse, Bobby Flay's Burger Palace AND Sweetgreen. Holy Eat Out!

I know I previously posted that I wasn't that excited about ShopHouse, but it was a convenient and speedy meal that fit well between scheduled appointments. Check my pic in the Foodspotting scroll to the bottom right - I had the pork and chicken meatballs with brown rice, Chinese broccoli, papaya slaw and the spiciest sauce they had. The sauce did indeed hold its own - so surprisingly spicy, I couldn't eat a few bites without sipping some soy milk (no, soy milk isn't sold at ShopHouse - I did take-out and brought my meal home)....and no, I don't have a low capsaicin tolerance. The meatballs were flavorful enough, but I kept burping them hours after and the texture was strange and mushy. I think I'll give ShopHouse one more try and get the chicken satay instead for my protein of choice, and on bun maybe. Their banh mis are ridiculously priced, so I'll pass on those.

I've only had the soft serve from Sweetgreen, so I decided to give their salads a try on Saturday after a day of mentor training and shopping. Their specialty salads all sounded good, but geez are they expensive. I decided to make my own (which didn't save me any money at all). I had mesclun, falafel, hearts of palm, cooked broccoli, sunflower seeds and cherry tomatoes tossed with the cucumber basil yogurt dressing.  The broccoli was the best part - slightly charred/caramelized and tasty. The dressing had no flavor. Looking back at the menu now, I regret not getting a different protein (their falafel isn't fried. I know.), wasabi peas, cheese (they didn't offer it to me and I was obviously confused on how the ordering system worked), or the lime cilantro jalapeno vinaigrette. Boo. Guess I'll have to go back again. And perhaps on someone else's dime, try one of the specialty salads. The bread that accompanied my salad, though, was nice and hearty.

As for Bobby's Burger Palace (which until now, I thought was called Bobby's Burger Place), I had the LA Burger (medium well, crunchified) and G had the Dallas Burger (medium, not crunchified). We also had a side of sweet potato fries with honey mustard horseradish sauce. My burger was really good. Although my chips were a bit soggy, the potato chip flavor really added to the burger, and I enjoyed the guac, but didn't notice the watercress. I usually don't prefer my burgers to be so big, but I really enjoyed this one. G's on the other hand, was raw. The patty was seared on the outside, but the inside could have been put into a ring mold and eaten as tartare (the meat stuck to the knife when we cut the burger in half!). Yikes. This required a nuke in the microwave that completely messed with the integrity of the burger - the slaw was warm, the bun was soggy and matted. Disaster. What about the fries, you ask? Well they were perfectly complimented with the sauce, though I wished the sauce was thicker. Who wants a watery dipping sauce??

nice one...

...idiot.
(...and almost just as important as the article itself, read the Readers' Comments)

where my zigzags at?

First, Missoni: Late news, I know, but I wanted to save this for Fashion Fridays. The Target Missoni collection made big news when it dropped in stores on Tuesday. After discovering early on in the day that the website was down, I went to the closest suburban Target after work and there was little trace the collection ever hit, save for the signage hanging from the ceiling and on the endcaps. Crazy! I managed to score a small vase that I was eyeing online and a couple of little girl sweaters for my nieces. I was able to later score, thanks to G, a few other items from a store in the suburbs of Pittsburgh (<3 you, blue collar North Huntingdon Township!).

A few words about FWNY...I liked the simplicity and sorbet-flavor color palette of the Phillip Lim collection. Gorgeous dresses/eye candy, as usual, from Oscar de la Renta, pretty prints from Caroline Herrera, and total wearability from Rachel Roy. The sophisticated Me would dress myself in the style of that collection everyday...but alas, sophisticated is not a word that comes to mind when describing me. I prefer ragamuffin....but if I was in music, maybe raggamuffin. Dang girl, you so ragga.

I am currently (in fashion blogger speak) lusting over this Madewell backpack, as seen here on Shopbop.

I have a cheapy one from H&M that has served me well, but I can only use it as a shoulder bag now, as the strap fixtures have worn down. I'm thinking I really need this leather version to stand up to the heavy load I carry. Yes, it's a necessity.

i (generally) hate you, cyclists

You swarm...like mosquitos. Ding ding with your stupid little bells. "On your left!" startles me. "Passing!" Hurry the hell up then. Hurry up - you're on a friggin bike! Why am I able to run faster than you?? ugh...there goes my peaceful morning run. You want the rights of pedestrians and cars (but will never admit it), thus annoying both. Cars should not have to slow down because you're in the way of traffic. If there's no bike lane, go on the sidewalk. If there is a bike lane, stay in it. Hey Spandex - if you're not in a race (which most of you aren't on most days), why do you wear your team race gear? Who likes wearing that much spandex? And hey hipster - you're IN THE WAY.

what?!

...was just watching PTI. Did Mike Wilbon just reveal that he's never eaten a pickle?!?!

today at work

• 1 Odwalla Choco-walla bar
• 1 medium-sized banana
• 1 tamari and seaweed rice cake
• Yamamotoyama jasmine tea (~36 oz throughout the day)
• 18 black grapes, 22 blueberries, 6 raspberries
• Take-out container of arugula, halved cherry tomatoes, turkey meatball chunks and linguini seasoned with garlic, ground black pepper and red pepper flakes (homemade leftovers, a take on this dish)
• water
• 1/2 small bag (~21g) of these chips

top 6 ...

...ok so this list can probably go on forever because people are generally going backwards, lacking in common sense and courtesy, but here are six small steps that would not only make my day brighter (because this is my blog, afterall), but would also be beneficial to the rest of the world too.

 

== TOP 6 THINGS PEOPLE SHOULD DO MORE OF == (not in any particular order, or NIAPO)

1. Say excuse me
2. Don't be stupid
3. Write hand-written letters
4. Recycle (to help offset the letter-writing. See also number 5 below, 4th Floor residents. Hangers are not recyclable.)
5. Follow rules (on the road, in life, in food production, whatever - but especially in the trash room, 4th Floor residents)
6. Empathize
7. BONUS: utilize common sense
8. BONUS #2: Take off your shoes when in a home
9. BONUS #3: If you don't have the balance and core strength to surf a moving train standing up and hands-free, hold on to the friggin' pole.

want...

...this

so long, sam

Oy, I'm so sad. Sam Sifton - the funny, sarcastic and most of the time on-point successor to Frank Bruni - was named the new national editor for the Times and announced yesterday that he was stepping down as food critic, news courtesy of Eddie Huang (click on the link to read his fitting and appreciative farewell). Sorry for being a little late on the news, but I don't do Twitter.

...does this mean no more Sifty's Fifty?

i still love you, roger

So? I don't care.

(courtesy: CafePress)

well, duh

Almost nothing (keyword: almost) on the road pisses me off more than drivers talking on the phone. There's now a push for a ban on cellphone use among commercial drivers, as reported by the Times. What's taking so long for this push to become law already?

This reminds me of something on my to-do list: write the National Association of Broadcasters to reach out to traffic reporters, on tv and radio, to consistently and continuously tell drivers to put away their phones and just drive, because people are dumb. Stupidity does not deserve civility. (...feel free to join my effort :) )

Tasty Tuesdays?

Quick post because I actually have work to do today!
So I'm going to try out yet another feature - Tasty Tuesdays. I like to post about food at all times, but Tasty Tuesdays will guarantee at least one posting about topics that are gastronomically engaging. Let me know if you're tired of features.

On today's list is a stream of restaurant news bits courtesy of Eater:

• Apparently the people behind Chipotle is opening a new chain with a South Asian concept (did Steve Ells rip the idea from a contestant on America's Next Great Restaurant?) called ShopHouse, which is due to open its first location in DC "within days". I'm not that excited.
• Next is word that Cuba Libre is expanding. I'm really surprised this establishment hasn't closed yet. The service was booty when we went. 'nuf said, can't go back.
• Hill Country has launched its $25 all-you-can-eat BBQ menu. I heard about this in NY, and will hopefully try it sometime when I'm in the mood for some BBQ..which is almost never.

On another note, last week, we were able to finally make our way to Graffiato for a seniors-special-deal-5:30pm dinner (that was the only time I could get a reservation). Peep my pics in the Foodspotting widget. I'd go back to try the pizza with potatoes on it and the other pizza with the.... I can't remember, but there are two pizzas I still want to try. Also, they have pony beers. The crust on the pizza was really enjoyable - not too burnt, not too crackery. Try not to sit upstairs...it's not as lively and if you sit by the windows, a line of inactive waitstaff hang out facing the tables and watch you eat.

On yet another note, yesterday was Jung Chao Jit - or Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. Keeping with tradition, we did what we do every year. After the moon rose, we ate a mooncake and drank some tea (made from unfortunate over-steeped Pu-Erh leaves) while staring and appreciating the bright round moon.

Lastly, I just got an email for a fantastic event that I hope I can attend:

The Spaniards of El Bulli lore! Speaking of which...I just stumbled upon this on Phaidon's website about Ferran Adria's plans for his new foundation. (That's my second mention of Phaidon in a week! Bonus point for spotting the first mention!)

me watch movies?

Gone with summer are summer blockbusters. In with the crisper, cooler air is a trickle of fall films that, surprisingly, have caught my interest. I avoid seeing movies, especially seeing them in the theatre, like the plague - pun intended (! and a great segue into the films I will soon mention). Ever the subject of many arguments with those I have dated and with the man to whom I am now engaged (what's with me and movie-types?), movies are a sore spot for me. I just find it hard to sit through something for 1.5 - 3 hours, especially when I'm seated in front of a film I never had interest in watching in the first place. Most striking example: Dark Knight at 9am on a beautiful Saturday New York morning. My only consolation was a PB&J cupcake from Buttercup afterward.

I am not the person that listens when someone recommends a movie nor am I the person who goes to midnight screenings or the person who raves about films unless it struck a political, emotional or humorous chord (namely chick flicks, documentaries, or foreign). Considering this, it's pretty surprising that I would be interested in seeing two star-studded movies this fall that I wouldn't expect to fall under any of these categories - Contagion and Moneyball.

Contagion because, in the words of a friend and fellow epidemiologist, 'that's what we do' and Moneyball because it's about MY TEAM. It helps that Contagion is based on sound epidemiological principles; in today's Times, the real-life epidemiologist technical consultant for the film wrote about the real threat of a pandemic and what our country needs to truly be prepared. I find it interesting, though, that the movie is called Contagion, given that 'contagious' was a term rarely used in my graduate epidemiology program. Rather, 'infectious' or 'communicable' were the favored terms. In fact, I'm pretty sure a professor specifically stated that contagion was more of a colloquial/lay and less-favored term, but I guess to attract the masses, it's fitting.

Moneyball is not only about the most interesting team in baseball (yeah, I said it), but it also has the rocketjuicestarpower of Brad Pitt playing Billy Beane, and is also based on a NYTimes bestseller. I want so much for it to do well. Let's go, A's!! What do the Angels have? Angels In the Outfield!! Sorry folks, but it doesn't get any lamer than that. Almost as lame as rally monkeys. I'm really hoping Moneyball earns a spot on my Greatest Sports Films list (do I spell a potential List Wednesday idea?), joining The Sandlot and Remember The Titans.

If any of you watch/have watched Contagion or Moneyball, please share your thoughts...but no spoilers!

FASHION FRIDAYS

Announcing yet another new feature - FASHION FRIDAYS! You lot know I like to peruse fashion blogs when I'm not reading food blogs, and since it's just the second day of NYFW, I thought it'd be a good idea to unveil Fashion Fridays, which means there will be at least one fashion/style-related post every Friday...probably about something I want, but hopefully I'll expand my fashion writing abilities to go beyond that. Fun Fab Fashion Fridays Fun!

So last night was Fashion's Night Out, or as they say in the industry, FNO. Although going to D&G to see Justin Beiber and Beyonce sounded like fun, the event I would have wanted to attend would probably be the one at Phaidon to see Garance's exhibit. I'm looking forward to seeing her pictures from this week's shows and events. As for the collections themselves, I haven't seen enough to say anything substantive, but I just hope a few trends make repeat appearances so I can continue sporting them, namely lace and colorblocking. I did see in Richard Chai's show some print-mixing, which is good because I don't like to look too coordinated and mixing prints is sort of an exercise in color stories and relationships. I also hope intertube-hiding lines are a trend - trapeze tops and dresses are always effective for hiding bulge!

On another note, I just saw a preview picture of Essie's new fall colors. As some fashion bloggers would say, gorge. Looking at these colors, I wish I was more into getting manicures than pedicures, then I would be able to sport these colors even when it's too cold to wear open-toed footwear.



Founder of Essie Cosmetics, Essie Weingarten; The Fall Essie collection, which was inspired by various women's handbags.

(Credit: Today Show/Getty Images, Essie)

This collection makes me really excited for fall. I'd like to find tights the color of that dark marooney color on the right. Also on the fall want-list:

• crewneck knits (chunky and not so chunky),
• another pair of black leggings,
• a pair of leggings in a dark fall color that isn't black,
• close-toed heeled shoes (preferably with an ankle strap) that look good with tights (none of that open-toed with tights business - I just can't bring myself to do that...it's almost like wearing socks with flip-flops), and
• a pencil skirt in a nice vibrant fall color.

I also wish I could get this trench cape in my size! :( ...then I can make yet another Seinfeld reference everytime I wear it. (because I don't make enough Seinfeld references on a daily basis already) Bonus point to whoever can name the man wearing the cape in referenced episode!

UPDATE: same difference

Ok, so there is a difference - the terms refer to the percentage of cloud coverage. For more enlightenment, go here for the percentage breakdown.

same difference

What's the difference between 'mostly cloudy' and 'partly sunny'? Or between 'mostly sunny' and 'partly cloudy'?
...
...
...
...
...ok, I'll look it up.

LIST WEDNESDAYS

It's been a while since I last posted, so I thought a good way to get back into the swing of things is to open with a couple of new features. The first is one I'm really excited about and I think you folks (all 2 of you) will enjoy it too - LIST WEDNESDAYS! Every Wednesday, a new list would be featured. List of what, you ask? Anything! The second new feature is a guest blogger (!) who will be revealed when he/she submits his/her first piece, which I'm told is going to be a hit.

 Today's list is very dear to my heart, as I have been called a connoisseur on the topic (and I love them so much, they're probably the reason why I can't lose any weight): Chips! Everyone loves chips! Here we go:

== TOP 6 CHIPS: ALL-TIME FAVORITES == (not in any particular order)

1. Kettle Brand Spicy Thai Flavored Potato Chips (Best Flavor That You Would Expect To Find In A Foreign Country Award)
2. Miss Vickie's Brand Jalapeno Flavored Potato Chips (Best Jalapeno Flavored Potato Chips Award)
3. Doritos Brand Taco Flavored Corn Chips (Best Dorito Flavor Award, Best Throwback Then Comeback Chip Award)
4. Boulder Canyon Brand Rice and Azuki Bean Chipotle Cheese Flavored Chips (Best Chip Not Made From Potatoes or Corn Award, Best Chip In the Health Foods Chip Section Award)
5. Lays Brand Garden Tomato & Basil Flavored Potato Chips (Best Brand Makeover Chip Award, Best Relatively New Flavor Award)
6. Tostitos Brand Hint of Lime Flavored Tortilla Chips (Best Tortilla Chip Award)

 As you can see, each chip not only made my all-time favorite list, but they also each got a specific award for what makes them so great.

And there you have it - our first List Wednesday post! What are some of your favorite chips?

(Disclosure: I did not receive any compensation from the chip brands listed above. I really do love them.)