Memorial Day

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Easter 

St Patrick's Day

Valentine's Day 

Christmas 

Orange and olive salad

Brothers and sisters, drop what you're doing and make this orange and olive salad, courtesy Mark Bittman.

At its very simplest, you could just chop olives (by hand, or in a food processor, or in a little mini chopper like I did) and strew them over juicy orange slices. Throw a very little amount of thyme into the olives if you have it. And toss some fennel seeds over the olives. The taste of them all together is sensational. By the time we ate this I'd forgotten about the fennel, and its taste was totally unexpected.

1 cup good black olives, preferably oil cured, pitted ( couldn't find oil-cured in Trader Joe's, so I used brine-cured kalamatas, and it was fine)
About 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for dressing
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (optional)
4 navel oranges, peeled, seeded, and sliced into rounds
Fennel seeds

Pulse the olives in a mini chopper or food processor - not too fine (you can refrigerate it for a day or so). Slice the oranges and peel (I got around two slices per orange half, and ate the leftovers at the chopping board). Arrange them on a plate and strew the olives over. Drizzle with oil, and toss about a spoonful of fennel seeds over the olives. I was timid with the fennel seeds and now I regret it. They were delicious. I think they're even better if the salad gets to sit about twenty minutes or so.

You're welcome.

Pale yuppie asses

Subject: Fishing practice?
Date: Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:43:12 -0700
From: Friend
To: Me and others [in response to long thread]



Is this what you guys do all day long, shit out emails to each other. Please send this info to the mail I actually check. [redacted]@yahoo.com. I need to be kept in the loop on  this yakima trip. It was my freaking Idea. Your primitive minds can't comprehend an operation of this magnitude. Before the trip is over they will be dragging the river bottom looking for your pale yuppie asses.
 

Whatever do they mean?

Whatever do they mean?, originally uploaded by Ríona.

Easter! Spring has come to Eastlake

Previously:

St Patrick's Day

Valentine's Day

Christmas

Ten things I have believed to be true

• Point Break is a place.
  
• If I persist in refusing to have my hair treated despite repeated outbreaks in our two-room school, the lice will crawl up inside me and eat me from the inside out.
  
• The name "Kim Jong Il" is pronounced "Kim Jong the Second".
  
• I will have repaired an item of clothing taking up room in my closet.
• Said item will come back into style.
• When said item comes back into style, I will be thin enough to wear it.
• Day spas and salons are a pleasurable indulgence, instead of extremely boring (with the notable exception of the Olympus Spa, which I love). Also, bubblebaths.
• I will cook more and better if I buy this fancy doohickey.
• Los Angeles is less cool and interesting than Manhattan.
• If I shift more than one gear, my car engine will explode.
  

You?

Visual DNA

I normally can't stand personality quizzes, but I really liked the design of this one, from Youniverse. It's based on pictures.

St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day, originally uploaded by Ríona.

Our anonymous neighbors did honor to my people by decking out the tree for Paddy's Day.

Previously:
Valentine's Day
Christmas