2012 In Progress (April)

reading:

One Thousand and One Nights

Rebel with a Cause: Foodie Elitism

viewing:

Mad Men Season 4

Game of Thrones Season 1

listening to:

This American Life -Take the Money and Run for Office

Girl on Guy 41 - Chef David Myers

coffee: As our coffee consumption has gone down a little we are still working on the Bard Coffee - El Salvador Cup of Excellence Lot # 13. We should be finished with it by the end of next week and on to something new!

2012 In Progress (March)

reading:

Mycelium Running - Paul Stammets

One Thousand and One Nights

Lexicon of Sustainability: Food Miles

Amazon buys army of Robots - CNN

viewing:

Why we're storing billions of seeds - Ted 

Tenacious D - To Be The Best - New album announcement from Tenacious D!

listening to:

FEaB # 1

The Benson Interruption # 13 

coffee: 

Working our way through the wonderful Bard Coffee - El Salvador Cup of Excellence Lot # 13. I am still singing the praises of this slightly sweet and balanced cup, absolutely love it! 

2012 In Progress (March)

reading:
Mycelium Running - Paul Stamets
Seeking a Sustainable Path for Coffee, and Coffe Farmers, in Haiti   New York Times Dot Earth 

viewing:
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race- The Big Picture
Impermanent Sand Paintings- Andres Amador
Rangers & Celtic (5 Parts)- vice.com

listening:
Nerdist - Neal Patrick Harris
Freakanomics - Show & Yell

coffee:
This week we starting drinking Bard Coffee - El Salvador Cup of Excellence Lot # 13. This is a sweet and balanced cup, with a hint of vanilla. It is makes the ideal cup at home. Probably the best coffee we've had this year and I really look forward to welcoming spring with this great brew.

2012 In Progress (March)

reading:

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

Lucky Peach #4

Why I am Leaving Goldman Sachs - Greg Smith New York Times

'Red Deer Cave people' may be new species of human - The Guardian

Food hubs: How small farmers get to market - Grist

viewing:

Drive

Castles in a Grain of Sand: Tiny Nanoscale 3D Printing

Remarkable Animals Painted in Ink by Gorge Boorujy - This is Colossal

listening:

B.S. report 3/5 Mark Cuban

This American Life #459 - What Kind of Country

Joe Rogan Experience - Sam Harris & Joe Rogan Experience - Jason Silva

You Made it Weird - The Sklar Brothers

Coffee:

We are continuing to work on the Hope Blend from Captain's Coffee Brewers. Travel and more tea have significantly slowed down our coffee consumption though we still have at least 4 lbs of various delicious roasts I look forward to enjoying!

2012 In Progress (Late February/March)

This post is a day late because Gail and I spent Friday night at the House of Blues here in Boston seeing my favorite band moe. along with so many great and wonderful people we are lucky to call our friends.


reading:

Lucky Peach - Issue #4

Ancient biblical gardens 'bloom' again -MSNBC LiveScience

Russians drill into previously untouched Lake Vostok below Antarctic Glacier - Washington Post

Dr. Vandana Shiva: Occupy Our Food Supply - Grist

viewing:

Marvin E Quasniki's Fireside Chat - The American Dream 

Joe Rogan Experience #187 - Daniele Bolelli, Brian Redban 

listening to:

Nerdist 175 - Cake

You Made It Weird - Dave Homes

momofuku tres playlist - David Chang's Spotify

Coffee I am drinking this week: We have been drinking more tea and less coffee lately, but I still enjoy at least a cup or 2 most days. We are continuing to work our way through Captain's Coffee Brewers Hope Blend which is a nice mix of medium & light roasted beans from Asia & South America that goes down smooth and has a very mellow and pleasant taste.

2012 In Progress (February)

reading:
What I Eat: Around the World In 80 Diets - Faith D'Alusio & Peter Menzel (finished)
Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save The World - Paul Stamets
Dead for 32,000 years an arctic plant is revived - New York Times
Honey Makes the World Go Round - Grist

viewing:

Planet Earth (finished)

automobiles reclaimed by nature - this is colossal

listening to:

Joe Rogan Experience #187 Danielle Bolelli

Doug Loves Movies - Released Feb 22, 2012 Sean Cullen,  Brody Stevens, Brad Williams, & Brett Gelman

You Made It Weird # 25 - Paul F Tompkins

Coffee I am drinking this week:  This week we've been enjoying the Captain's Coffee Brewers Hope Blend which is a nice mix of medium and light roasted beans from Asia & South America that is very smooth and mellow.

2012 In Progress (February)

Reading:

What I Eat: Around the World In 80 Diets - Faith D'Alusio & Peter Menzel

Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save The World - Paul Stamets

Monsanto guilty of chemical poisoning in France - Reuters 

Don't Mock the Artisanal-Pickle Makers - New York Times

viewing:

Planet Earth

Intricate Pencil Tip Carvings - WebUrbanist

World Press Photo contest Winners - The Big Picture 

listening to:

Nerdist Podcast # 167 - Conan O'Brien

Coming Soon To Your Grocery Aisle: Organic Food From Europe - NPR

Eric Clapton - Slowhand

Black Keys - El Camino

Thievery Corporation - Culture of Fear

coffee we are drinking this week: We are finishing up  Coffee By Design's Colombia Antioquia Jardin Alma Del Cafe we have been enjoying the last few weeks. The coffee is a nice strong and bold cup that has a slightly sweet finish, as if there was honey already in the cup.

2012 In Progress (February)

reading:

What I Eat: Around the World In 80 Diets - Faith D'Alusio & Peter Menzel

Mycelium Running: Hoe Mushrooms Can Help Save The World - Paul Stamets 

Make a Compost Pile and Your Garden Will Thank You - Consumerist

Lifebook - WebUrbanist

Object Cancers - BLDGBLOG

viewing:

Oyster mushrooms growing on our kitchen counter!

Syria Fighting Continues - The Big Picture 

A Fireside Chat with Marvin E. Quasniki

listening to:

Mr. P - Patrice O'Neal legendary comedian Patrice O'Neal passed away late last year at the all too young age of 42. This album was recorded and scheduled to be released before he passed away.

WTF with Marc Maron #252 - Bill Lawrence

coffee we are drinking this week: We are continuing with Coffee By Design's Colombia Antioquia Jardin Alma Del Cafe. Coffee By Design is one of the two local micro-roasters in Portland, ME I got beans from New Years weekend. The coffee is a nice strong and bold cup that has a slightly sweet finish, as if there was honey already in the cup. 

Both Gail and I have had a little less coffee this week and have been drinking a little more tea.

2012 In Progress (February)

reading:

Tomatoland - Barry Eastbrook

What I Eat: Around the World In 80 Diets - Faith D'Alusio & Peter Menzel

Newly Discovered Fungus Eats Plastic - Grist

The First Woman to Go 'Round the World Did It As A Man - NPR Krulwich Wonders

After Being Stricken by Drought, Istanbul Yields Ancient Treasure - New York Times

Monkey long believed extinct found in Indonesia - MSNBC

The Power of Introverts: A Manifesto for Quiet Brilliance - Scientific American

viewing:

Stunning Animal Portraits Drawn With a Bic Pen - This is Colossal 

listening to:

Nerdist #163: Bob Odenkirk - The Nerdist

Doug Loves Movies - Chris Hardwick, Thomas Lennon, Greg Proops, Sam Levine 

Greg Proops - The Smartest Man In The World #143 - Needles

coffee we are drinking this week:  we finished the New Harvest Cycledrome this week and started Coffee By Design's Colombia Antioquia Jardin Alma Del Cafe. Coffee By Design is a micro roaster and coffee shop in Portland, ME that I visited multiple times when we were in Portland for New Years weekend. This is a strong and bold cup of coffee that has a slightly sweet finish, almost like there is a dollop of honey in the cup. What I like is that it has a bold taste without an over roasted 'extra dark' after taste. 

2012 In Progress (January)

reading:

Tomatoland - Barry Eastbrook

What I Eat: Around the World In 80 Diets - Faith D'Alusio & Peter Menzel

Ancient popcorn discovered in Peru - EuekaAlert 

Feeding The World Gets Short Shrift In Climate Change Debate - NPR - The Salt 

Deep Impact: The toll your protein takes on the Earth- Grist 

The first Occupy candidate: Nate Kleinman - Politico

viewing:

Life - BBC (finished this week

Livestream of tedxmanhattan Session 2

To the Moon with Marvin E Quasniki - Nerdist

listening to:

moe. - What Happened to the La Las

The Who - Tommy

Miles Davis - Bitches Brew

Doug Benson - The Benson Interruption # 11

Yale School of Forestry - Food and Sustainable Agriculture via itunes 

coffee we are drinking this week:  

This week we are drinking the New Harvest Coffee Roasters Cycledrome which is very light bodies and great for people who don't like their coffee to feel too 'strong.' It goes down smooth and has a lightly sweet aftertaste, with a slight hint of citrus.

2012 In Progress (January)

reading:

Horns - Joe Hill

Honeybee problem nearing a 'critical point' - The Guardian 

Italy allows Unesco into Pompeii - The Art Newspaper 

Siberia was a wildlife refuge in the last ice age - NewScientist 

Ommegang fears drilling could pollute its water - Washington Post Lifestyle Blog . The Ommegang Brewery is very close to where Gail and I attended college. I am a big fan of their beer and am proud to see how much they have grown in the 10+ years I have been aware of them

London 2012: Mass gathering risks disease spreading - BBC News

Seeds For The People: Hudson Valley Seed Library - Farm House Magazine 

viewing:

Colony: No Bees. No Honey. No Work. No Money - http://www.colonymovie.com/

Paddy Ashdown: The global power shift - TedxBrussels 

Paul Stamets - 6 ways mushrooms can save the world - Ted2008 

listening to:

WTF with Marc Marcon # 245 - Todd Glass - Mr. Glass publicly comes out of the closet on this episode and explains how much difficulty he had with the decision

Nerdist Podcast # 159 - Scott Ian of Anthrax - Nerdist

The Man Who Studies The Fungus Among Us - NPR

coffee we are drinking this week:
This week we have been enjoying the Texas Coffee Traders Organic Market Blend that Jess sent me as part of the Austin to Boston Food Swap. This was a deceptively smooth blend. The beans, whole and when ground had the odor of a bold dark roast but the taste was far more subtle with floral and citrus notes. Just for the 'not as dark as you thought' surprise this was great!

2012 In Progress (January)

reading:

Horns - Joe Hill (new book i am reading thanks to Gail!)

A fork in the road for Slow Food - Grist 

How to Clone Mineral Water - Edible Geography 

Hostess Prepares to File for Chapter 11 - Consumerist
We're Eating Less Meat. Why? - New York Times
IBM Scientists Reveal 5 Life-Changing Innovations - Yahoo!
Ohio Earthworks created for more than farming - Columbus Dispatch

viewing:

National Geographic Photography Contest Winners: 2011 - The Big Picture, Boston.com

Truffles: The Most Expensive Food in the World - 60 minutes, CBS online
The Future Belongs to the Curious - Brain Pickings

listening to:

The Black Keys - El Camino

WTF with Marc Maron Episode 244 - Steven Wright

coffee we are drinking this week: 

we just finished the needcoffee.com House Blend (again, it was really excellent. I feel like I enjoyed it even more this second week drinking it!) yesterday and will be enjoying something new next week!

2012 In Progress (January)

I am back with my (hopefully) weekly recap of some various things I have been enjoying. I am still tweaking the formula so the content might change but the general idea is the same - here is a peek at some highlights from the past week.

reading:

Organic or Local?? I say transparent - Maria's Farm Country Kitchen

Conversation with Barbara Lynch - New York Times
Egypt: A Riche History - The Economist

Second Nature - Michael Pollan (finally managed to finish this between reading about a dozen other things)

viewing:

Marking the New Year - The Big Picture - Boston Globe

Taste the Waste trailer - from vimeo. Also available at Taste the Waste.

listening to:

moe. 12/30/2011 State Theater Portland, ME
moe. 12/31/2011 State Theater Portland, ME
after a spectacular New Years weekend in Portland it has been really great being able to go back and listen to both shows which were spectacularly played and well worth the listen if you are into this sort of thing.

coffee we are drinking this week:
NeedCoffee.com House Blend - This is a medium roast Columbian blend that is shade-grown, fair trade, and organic. It has a rich carmel taste and an aroma of dark chocolate with a hint of vanilla. What is nice is the coffee is roasted as it is ordered. When I received my coffee a few weeks ago it had a tag on it indicating it had been roasted and shipped within a day and arrived only a few days later. I like a variety of coffee covering the entire range of the roasting spectrum, and generally find blends to be, on the whole, over roasted and having a charred or burnt flavor, so I was really pleased when this coffee had a nice strong aroma but a pleasant and lighter then expected taste and presence. Definitely worth trying!!

needcoffee.com is an online entertainment & pop culture site that features loads of great content all things geek related, tons of giveaways, and a slew of podcasts, some of which I am a big fan of.  I received a bag of the coffee in a trade from Widgett at Need Coffee. I sent him 2 bottles of the great Captain's Coffee Brewers cold brewed coffee that I love so much. I didn't agree to review their coffee or anything, but I found it particularly tasty and thought I would share the love and my thoughts!
If you are into pop culture, geekery, and need a bit of a laugh be sure to check out needcoffee.com and their podcasts!

December 2011... in progress

December 2011... in progress
12/11 - 12/17

reading:

Diary of a Very Bad Year: Confessions of an Anonymous Hedge Fund Manager (finally finished)

Leonardo's Formula Explains Why Tree's Don't Splinter - Science Mag 

Jars of Plenty - ScienceNews

Weather Control as a Cold War Weapon - Smithsonian Mag

glancing 

at:

Landreth Seed Catalog (which is gorgeous), Twitter, Blogs

rare unseen photos: aftermath of pearl harbor - Yahoo! News

listening to:

Nerdist Podcast with JJ Abrams

Childish Gambino - Camp

moe. 11/25/2011 Terminal 5 - New York, NY

Joe Rogan Experience with Dr. Bruce Lipton

Who are the Young Farmers of Generation Organic - NPR

watching:

The new Muppets Movie

The Good Wife

This Insane Burger Ad From Russia featuring hardcore rap, in Russian. Seriously this is INSANE!

December 2011... in progress

December 2011... in progress
12/4 - 12/10

reading:
Second Nature - Michael Pollan
Diary of a Very Bad Year: confessions of an anonymous hedge fund manager
Organic Can Feed the World - Barry Estabrook

The Architecture of Banana Control - BLDGBLOG

glancing at:

seed catalogs, countless holiday 'treat' recipes

listening to:

Joe Rogan Experience with Shane Smith of Vice

moe. 11/25/2011 - Terminal 5 New York, NY

moe. 11/26/2011 - Terminal 5 New York, NY 

watching:

Life - BBC

Louis CK Hilarious

Jewish Lamb http://torrisinyc.com/videos/jewish-lamb

December 2011... in progress

December 2011... in progress
11/2 - 12/3
reading:
Second Nature - Michael Pollan
Diary of a very Bad Year: confessions of an anonymous hedge fund manager
New York Food Issue (particularly articles about rene redzepi and growing coffee)
These May Be The droids Farmers are Looking For- Wired.com
What was on the menu at the first thanksgiving? - Smithsonian Mag
Archaeologists find royal kitchen at ancient mayan city of kabah - Digital Journal
Back to the Future: A road map for tomorrow's cities - Orion Magazine

glancing at:
twitter, seed catalogs, amazon.com

listening to:
Joe Rogan Experience with Bert Kriescher
Joe Rogan Experience with  Daniele Bolelli
Girl on Guy podcast with Tom Morello
Itunes U Standford University - Ben Franklin and the World of the Enlightenment
Sustainability is Served - WGBH

watching:
moe. 1/6/2011 Punta Cana, Dominican Republic DVD
Modern Marvels - the 80s
The Simpsons - The Book Job (w. Neil Gaiman)

happenings:
winter markets, birthdays, wedding

November 2011... In Review

A best of what I read, looked at, watched, and listened to during the past month.
reading:
Diary of a Very Bad Year: confessions of an anonymous hedge fund manager
Lucky Peach Issue # 1
Eat Local, All Year Long - Handcrafted with Altitude
The Ultimate Hunger Games - McSweeneys
Amazingly detailed and astounding chart about Money - XKCD web-comic

listening:
St. Germain - Tourist
Ella Fitzergald & Duke Ellington - Ella and Duke at the Cote D'Azur
Girl on  Guy with Neil Fallon of Clutch
Grateful Dead - 1/17/70 Springers Inn Portland, OR

Childish Gambino - Camp

Warren Ellis - SPEKTERMODULE 01

watching:
The Botany of Desire - PBS

Up Close and Personal with Kermit the Frog via  The Nerdist


what did you read, listen to, or watch that was particularly good this month??

November 2011... In Progress

November 2011... in progress
11/20 - 11/26
tomorrow will feature a best of for the month

reading:

Second Nature - Michael Pollan

Diary of a Very Bad Year: confessions of an anonymous hedge fund manager

The Ultimate Hunger Games - McSweeneys

Occupy the Art World: 21 OWS-Inspired Designs - Web Urbanist 

'Use-by' dates: A myth that needs busting - Grist

glancing at:

The Food Issue - The New Yorker

Amazingly detailed and astounding chard about Money - XKCD web-comic. 

Egypt Erupts with Fresh Protests - Boston.com The Big Picture 

Thanksgiving Flow Chart -from Chow via Dining and Opining

listening to:

Marc Maron - This Has to Be Funny

Doug Benson - The Benson Interruption #s 7, 9, & 10 

Childish Gambino - Camp

Warren Ellis - SPEKTERMODULE 01

Vinyls- Blitzen Trapper -American Goldwing, Big Brother and the Holding Company - Cheap Thrills, Duke Ellington - Greatest Hits

watchings:

Manchester City vs. Napoli - Champions League Soccer

The Simpsons - 'foodie' episode 

Bizarre Foods with Andew Zimmern - Maine

Up Close and Personal with Kermit the Frog via  The Nerdist

happenings:

thanksgiving,  brunch with friends, coming up with a game plan for both the Austin to Boston Food Swap (#atxbos) and The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap (impromptu baking!).

November 2011... In Progress

November 2011...in progress
A not entirely food related exercise to note what I am reading, watching, and listening to.
next week will have a few new additions, but will be more of  a 'best of' what I've read, watched, listened to, this month.
11/13-11/19
reading:
Second Nature - Michael Pollan

Diary of a Very Bad Year: confessions of an anonymous hedge fund manager

Lucky Peach- Issue #2

Young Farmers Find Huge Obstacles to Getting Started - New York Times

Historic conservation project by Global Heritage Fund begins at "Machu Picchu of the North" - Artdaily.org

Direct and Intermediated Market of Local Foods in the United States - USDA

Farmer's Dilemma: Setting a price - Edible East Bay

glancing at: 

American Food Consumption

twitter

listening to:

The Doubleclicks-Blatant Pandering

St. Germain - Tourist

Thievery Corporation - Culture of Fear

watching:

Botany of Desire - PBS

The Doors Sing reading rainbow theme - Jimmy 

happenings:

cider in the city, trip to first winter farmers market, a little more baking. dinner with friends.

November 2011... in progress

November 2011... in progress
Not entirely food related.. Trying something different here.
11/5-11/12
reading
Second Nature- Michael Pollan
Diary of a Very Bad Year: confessions of an anonymous hedge fund manager
Lucky Peach Issue # 1
Beer & Bullets to Go: Ancient 'takeout' window discovered - LiveScience
Eat Local, All Year Long - Handcrafted with Altitude (this is such an awesome idea, and if there was something likes this in my area I would sign up or participate any way I could)
Because I Can - Dabblings and Whimsey (a really awesome ode to canning)
Charcutapalooza (with candied bacon recipe) - Heather Atwood, Gloucester Times

glancing at:
Flour cookbook
lots of blogs
King Arthur Flour catalog
50 Best Restaurants - Boston Magazine

listening to:
Podcasts: WTF with Marc Maron w/Chris Rock, girl on guy podcast with neil fallon of clutch
clutch (because of the girl on guy podcast, I went back and listened to lots of clutch this week)

Baby Making Music playlist by Staff Meal 
Grateful Dead 1/17/70 Springers Inn Portland, OR - great bar band type show from the dead.


watching:
modern marvels - salt
Mumuration - really fun video.

happenings:
baking & a little bit of canning
new fall menu at American Craft - Pork & Beans was outstanding!