Web Sites »Lady Starlight’s Rock and Roll High School

lady starlight's rock and roll high schoolLady Starlight seems to be some kind of clubbing superstar of NYC nightlife. But I wouldn't know anything about that because I'm the one home writing blogs like this and snuggling my cats at one in the morning as opposed to say, this. She was also Lady Gaga's original collaborator – also something I know little about but I have an inkling our Miss Starlight inspired all those wacky lovably out of control costumes because she knows the meaning of fun and spandex.

The girl's got great taste and will inspire you with images of metal and glam's most spectacular fashions on her blog Lady Starlight's Rock and Roll High School. All the well known greats are here, like Iron Maiden and Roxy Music, but like any good site, it might introduce you to new names?- Sweeney Todd or Alvin Stardust perhaps?

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Posted on July 6, 2009

Songs »You Are My Rose

the room wiseau you are my roseFeatured in the only sex scene that stars a man with actual skin over his body, You Are My Rose is by far the most memorable lite-Skinemaxy song to come out of this week's incredible “film”, The Room (which I have re-watched a few times since writing my entry, and if I could, I'd go on forever).

Singer Kitra Williams is actually a quite accomplished performer, she starred in Broadway's The Color Purple and is an activist who began the Agape Academy an:

“Organization honoring youth and young adults
desiring to rededicate their gifts and talents for the Gospel sake. We cultivate the gifts of our youth and encourage them to minister messages of hope through theater, film and cartoon animation. We provide scholarships and national opportunities for their talents to be showcased at out annual Agape Awards ceremony.”

Plus, as this song can attest, she can really set the mood for spiral staircase sex.

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Posted on July 6, 2009

Books »Galactic Effectuator

galactic effectuatorWhen you're dealing with a writer like Jack Vance (probably the most recommended author on this blog), even his minor entries read like major feats of awesomeness compared to most books you will read.?Galactic Effectuator is a slender compilation of two novellas about Miro Hetzel, a private detective willing to take on cases that take him to the furthest reaches of his galaxy.

The first story takes us way out to the absolute edge of the Gaean Reach (the region of space containing planets civilized by humanity) to a planet called Maz, a border planet overseen by an uneasy alliance of alien cultures inhabited by a most interesting and unusual race of native warriors called the Gomaz. Maz is a stopping point for rogues, people who want to disappear and tourists who consider themselves 'adventure travelers' longing to catch a glimpse of the bloody, ritualistic and regular Gomaz inter-tribal battles.

Hetzle heads to Maz to uncover the truth behind corporate espionage and meets a surly assassin driven nearly insane by an elaborate prank and an intriguing lady he wouldn't mind taking out on a date.

The second book concerns a much more personal matter when a man, after being drugged and abducted, realizes his manhood has been surgically replaced with someone else's, making it impossible to sire his own children. immediately (and correctly) suspecting his wife's former suitor, the mad surgeon Faurence Dacre, he turns to Hetzle for help.

Hetzle makes for a charming, witty sleuth in the tradition of Sherlock Holmes. He even gathers all the players in a room at the end as he announces his findings. Set in the always brilliant world of Vance's imagination, the fusion of detective and fantasy genres is absolutely delightful.

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Posted on July 6, 2009

Recipes »Larb Gai

homemade larb gaiHow empowering, to be able to make one of my favorite restaurant dishes at home and have it actually taste delicious! Larb Gai is a ground chicken salad with a uniquely limey, slightly spicy and sweet taste that I was first introduced to at Sawaddee in Providence while in college. It was love at first bite. I was too lazy to toast my rice this time, but the crunch is probably worth the minimal effort. Pair with white rice and a crisp beer ideally.

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Posted on July 6, 2009

Laughs »Worst Line Reading Ever

ryan o'neal line reading Video searches for Tommy Wiseau and his masterwork, The Room (read all about it above) brought me to this little gem entitled “Worst Line Reading Ever”. It's from a film called?a href=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tough_Guys_Don't_Dance_(film)” target=”_blank” title=”Tough Guys Don\'t Dance Wikipedia”>”Tough Guys Don't Dance” and it just proves that as much as Norman Mailer can fight and write, directing is simply not his forte.

Despite a cast including the always incredible Isabella Rossellini, and?Ryan Oneal (sorry for your loss Ryan), this one has become a minor cult camp classic due to scenes like this one. Oh god, oh man, oh god, oh man, oh god, oh man indeed.

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Posted on July 6, 2009

TV Shows »Metalocalypse

While I immediately took to the Metalocalypse intro music, it took a bit longer to fall in love with the humor. Am I really recommending a cartoon where a man that pukes all over himself discovers free balling? Strangely, Yes, and further more I rather love the thing almost obsessively.

The show takes place in a future/alternate world where a heavy metal group called Deathklok rules!! – literally, they truly rule the world – like a teenage Iron Maiden fan's day dream come to life. They employ an army of hooded soldiers, reside in a metal dragon lair, are endorsed by a million products and bring fear to a Illuminati type coalition of military, religious and mysterious leaders.

The show plots center often around mundane realities like grocery shopping and buying the perfect birthday gift, but it mostly trudges through strange, really extremely violent territory where things surreal things like conjured giant Nordic trolls and a flock of ravens kill and maim thousands in gory, graphic ways. If you think you might not like watching lots of artistic interpretations of decapitations, face slicing, blood splattering, and bone crunching, you probably should watch something else.

To quote the band, this is brutal stuff, but just like the covers of our most favorite metal albums (Eddie!!), its really fun and great to look at too. And I promise you will not find anything else like it on TV.

If you're still not convinced, Kirk Hammett voices The Queen of Denmark.

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Posted on July 6, 2009

Places to Visit »Lodging and Dining on Block Island

ballards beach block islandIf you take the ferry from Port Judith, you will arrive on the quaint vacation Block Island in Old Harbor, the island's town center where most dining and lodging can be found. We stayed at the Inn at Block Island, a nice Victorian style bed and breakfast, that while completely pleasant was pretty hands off as far as services and breakfast (we had to help an arriving lady in with her luggage and opted to eat out after eating in once.) Still, it was in a nice location and priced fine and?we don't really need a lot of frills, so we were content.

As for eating, there's a lot to choose from in Old Harbor but I'll try to walk you through the highs and lows as I saw them.

On the better side of things you'll find The National Hotel, a classic family ridden hotel bar and restaurant that surprised us with their excellent garlicky clams and tasty pesto salmon sandwich. Clams were also the name of the game at Finn's, a seafood joint close to the dock with unusual weekday hours and a boisterous wood paneled atmosphere. I tried whole fried clams, a rich and decadent dish, there for the first time. For a fancier meal in a doily tea room ambiance, I was impressed with our meal at the Hotel Manisses. Managing to even make lobster bisque?(an often too thick concotion) light and delicious, the focus is on vegetables and herbs from their own garden. Our final A plus meal was the outdoor Old Harbor View Takeout, one of the first places you'll see on embarking. As a major vacation style indulgence, I had a big frozen lemonade and a foot long grilled hot dog for breakfast.

In the middle of the scale sits Ballard's Inn, a very popular seafood spot that offers great seating pretty much right on the beach (pictured). This was an ideal setting to enjoy the few moments of sun we had our first day, along with the Del's vodka drink I mentioned last week. Their oysters were pretty good, lobster roll was average, but the price, like many places on the island was higher than expected or deserved. Three Sisters, only open a few hours a day, was a tiny spot with decent meatloaf sandwiches and cookies that are a nice break from overpriced sit down meals.

Now for the bad… The biggest disappointment was Eli's, a restaurant I had read rave reviews of. While parts of the meal were great: the huge dirty martini and the hard to eat tuna carpaccio nachos, my main dish consisted of undercooked rice, undercooked and nearly cold grilled shrimp and canned black olives. Jim faired only slightly better with a mellow but bland fish of the day. We also had the worst coffee I've ever tasted in my life from Juice N Java. We had to throw our lattes out after only a few sips. A day later, with no other options open to us, we gave them another chance with Chai but had to toss those even earlier. You've been warned.

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Posted on July 6, 2009

Spend a Couple Minutes »Schaller and Weber

schaller weber hot dogsIt's rare to absolutely adore a meat shopping experience, but Schaller and Weber, a classic German market that has stood on 2nd Avenue since 1937, is such a friendly old world kind of place with such kindly service that you leave with a warm feeling in your heart and a smile on your face.

Along with that warm feeling, I took home some extra spicy mustard, great bottled chornicons, a marzipan piglet, and a phenomenal few bright red hot dogs. Later snuggled in French bread along with that spicy mustard, these were some of the best dogs we've ever enjoyed.

What we didn't leave with was one of the cute classic steins in the windows. Another visit will be necessary for me to pick one up, and i'll probably take a couple more of those hot dogs too.

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Posted on July 6, 2009

Spend a Couple Hours »Judas Priest Live

judas priest on tourJim is seeing Judas Priest! Jim is seeing Judas Priest! Jim is seeing Judas Priest! Jim is seeing Judas Priest! Jim is seeing Judas Priest! Jim is seeing Judas Priest! Jim is seeing Judas Priest! Jim is seeing Judas Priest! Jim is seeing Judas Priest! Jim is seeing Judas Priest! Jim is seeing Judas Priest! Jim is seeing Judas Priest! Jim is seeing Judas Priest! Jim is seeing Judas Priest! Jim is seeing Judas Priest! Jim is seeing Judas Priest!

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Posted on July 6, 2009

Drinks »The Frying Pan

the frying pan viewThe Frying Pan is one part of a new generation of Manhattan must-do spots that has been on my own list since it re-opened. An afternoon with my family recently offered the perfect opportunity to finally check it off and enjoy a few Blue Point Blueberry beers under blue skies with the quiet sway of the water and views of Chelsea and the water.

The salvaged historic boat that once sat at the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay sits off shore of the newly renovated water front along the West Side Highway. The barnacled bar is reportedly pretty divey, crowded, and wild on the expected nights, but if you can get there in the afternoon, it's an eccentric oasis among the busy city and the kind of place you can relax for hours at.

Make sure to take a carpeted walk down to the bathroom for a real old timey ship environment and, if you're hungry, Adam seemed to enjoy his hot dog.

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Posted on July 6, 2009