Day 164 - People I Dig

Peter Bailey owns Magnetic, one of the post houses / recording studios I use on a regular basis. He's an amazingly talented editor, designer, and jack-of-all-trades / master-of-all, and not only is it a pleasure to be able to work with him, it's also a pleasure to call him a friend.

Day 163 - Dodger Stadium

It's hard to believe that it's the second oldest stadium in the National League, and the third oldest in all of baseball.

For the record, Fenway Park in Boston opened in 1912, Wrigley Field in Chicago two years later, and Dodger Stadium in 1962.

Day 162 - Mr. Scully

There's a lot that's been written about Vin Scully, most of which is the general consensus that he's the best announcer calling baseball today, and, at least to almost five generations of Angelinos, the best of all time.

But since his broadcast is only carried on radio for the first three innings, there isn't the constant murmur of his signature voice throughout the stadium like I remember as a child, as most every fan had a pocket radio tuned to him for the duration of the game.

And how rare is it for any broadcaster, save for the nightly news anchors, to be in a shirt and tie? No polo shirt, no team-issued or network apparel. A shirt and tie, always buttoned, always cinched up. No matter how hot the weather, no matter how dull or lopsided the game.

Class. That's going to be Vin Scully's lasting legacy.

Day 161 - Base Hit to Right

Bobby Abreu's swing is one of the more underrated in baseball.

Day 160 - Garlic Fries

These are coming close to supplanting Dodger Dogs as the signature snack at the stadium. Not quite yet, but close . . .

Day 159 - Ozzy

Last week I was at Dodger Stadium for the first game of the Dodgers / Angels interleague series, and at the end of the fourth inning, Ozzy Osbourne came onto the field to lead the crowd in an attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the (1) loudest and (2) longest scream. Unfortunately, the crowd of 52,407 could only sustain the length, and only set one record. And what a happy little coincidence that Ozzy's new album, appropriately titled "Scream," drops next week. Can we say "cross-promotion?"

A Clarification

In the interest of full disclosure, I would like to make it clear that when Mom gave me "the finger," she was NOT flipping me off, giving me the bird, or any other means of obscene gesture . . . no matter how much I may have deserved it.

This is Mom in full "finger mode."

You do NOT want to know how many times I was on the receiving end of this.

Day 158 - Mom

Today is my mom's birthday.

It's a milestone one, and despite Mom not having a vain or egotistical bone in her body, I will refrain from saying which birthday this is.

However, I will say that I had to use a great deal of self-restraint and NOT use a picture of her with "the finger." I saw a lot of "the finger" when I was younger, mostly because it was being shaken in my face or pointed in my direction for something I did, didn't do, did poorly, or some other various and sundry error of youthful masculine ineptitude. And fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your point of view) I don't get "the finger" that much anymore, but that's mostly to Mom and Dad living on the other side of the country. But trust me, if she lived closer, I'd get "the finger." A lot.

So happy birthday, Mom, and for better or worse, you've had a big hand (or finger) in helping me become who I am today. I love you lots, and you're the best mom in the whole wide world.

Love,
Tom

Day 157 - People I Dig

Doing some freelance gigs, I had the pleasure of working with Dan Blessinger, one of the most talented musicians and recording engineers I've ever met.

Day 156 - Bagels

And despite my difficulty in keeping the shape consistent, they tasted gooood.

Day 155 - Bagels

But they baked just fine . . .

Day 154 - Bagels

So I took what I learned in Bill's Baking Master Class and decided to try bagels as my first solo project.

Apparently the secret to proper bagel consistency is broil, boil, and bake.

These got a wee bit close to the broiler.

Master Baking Class

After putting my DSLR into auto focus and full automatic mode, my sister was more than capable of taking this series of photos, since I was mostly elbow deep in flour. And on to the post . . .


























In addition to learning how to make focaccia, I also learned how to make Bill's stuffed buns. While the original recipe calls for them to be filled with crab meat, Bill uses an awesome mixture of barbecue pulled pork and shredded cheese.








The real secret is pre-measuring the filling so the assembly works like a . . . well, assembly line.




And the egg wash with a sprinkle of sea salt really finishes them off. Plus, they freeze really well so they're packable for lunches.

Is packable a word? Hang on . . .



















Yes. Yes it is.

Day 153 - Barbecue

Another one for John . . .

Day 152 - Barbecue

. . . tri-tip, perfectly medium.

Day 151 - Barbecue

And tri-tip . . .

Day 150 - Barbecue

. . . up close . . .

Day 149 - Barbecue

Grill fries . . .

Day 148 - Barbecue

Grilled corn . . .

Day 147 - Focaccia

. . . ooooohhhhhhh.

Day 146 - Focaccia

. . . and here it is baked . . .

Day 145 - Focaccia

...and here's the unbaked bread, topped with cheese and onions...

Day 144 - Focaccia

I learned how to make focaccia this weekend . . . here's the dough after the bread machine finished kneading . . .

Day 143 - Lemons

One of the nice things about Southern California is the abundance of citrus, like these lemons in my backyard.