House of Dioxin

This morning was another one of those days when XDU felt like my own personal radio station. There hasn't been anyone on from 5-7am in a while so I'm always having to start up the station when I get there. And this week, the 9am DJ called in to say she was sick so I had to shut things down when I was done. I'd have stayed longer but, y'know, they pay me this money so I sorta feel obligated to show up for work.
Meanwhile, this made my day. If it doesn't make your day, well, then I'm afraid you may just be sort of person who has un-makeable days. Two words: bacon skates.
Finally, here's some top quality Durham snark. They're not all little gems. But the signal to noise ratio is pretty good. And several made me laugh out loud. Note: it probably goes w/o saying, but if you're not from Durm, you probably won't find Surviving and Thriving in Durham particularly funny or interesting (ymmv and all that). But I am and I did.

XDU wrrld music top 10 (week ending 29 aug 10)

Je T'aime... Moi Non Plus :: Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin
the Budos Band III :: the Budos Band
Cumbia Beat: Experimental Guitar Driven Tropical Sounds from Peru, 1966-1976, vol. 1 :: various
la Superbe :: Benjamin Biolay
Yes We Can: Songs About Leaving Africa :: various
Saigon Rock & Roll :: various
Cantors, Klezmorim and Crooners 1905-1953: Classic Yiddish 78s from the Mayrent Collection :: various
Shangaan Electro: New Wave Dance Music from South Africa :: various
Tite Curet Alonso: Alma De Poeta :: various
Seu Jorge & Almaz :: Seu Jorge & Almaz

this week's video feature: Benjamin Biolay

Just read about an interesting event coming up next month. Hillsborough Jazz Festival on Sat. Sept. 25 is a celebration of Billy Strayhorn. When Sarah was doing research for her Strayhorn tribute on Divaville Lounge, she learned about Strayhorn's Hillsborough connection (he wasn't born there but he had family there and spent a lot of time visiting them and living with them while he was growing up). That weekend isn't good for me but I might try to make it out there. At least it's an afternoon event, which is better since it's the next couple of days after that are looking busy right now.

Further from the "things I never expected to find on the internets" file: was poking around YouTube the other night and found this version of "the Spaniard That Blighted My Life" by British music hall performer Billy Merson. I only knew the version by Al Jolson and Bing Crosby. According to the comments (and we all know that YouTube commentors are unimpeachable sources of information), Jolson stole the song from Merson, who unsuccessfully sued. Not sure I really understand the charge of stealing here. I thought all the performers in vaudeville/music hall were stealing material constantly from each other. Maybe Jolson started singing the song without properly paying or crediting Merson. Here's a more pro-Jolson version of the story. Which includes the interesting tidbits that it's the earliest surviving Jolson recording. Also that Billy Merson worked in the music halls with George Formby, Sr. Ah, Wikipedia to the rescue. According to this entry on the 1928 movie the Singing Fool, Merson sued arguing that so much of his livelihood was tied up in performing "the Spaniard That Blighted My Life" that any Jolson performances of same would be unfair. So Jolson's version of the song was removed from all prints of the movie shown in the UK.

Local beer update: I haven't had a chance yet to visit the brewery yet but Fullsteam, Durham's newest craft brewer, is up and running. And there's a growler of Summer Basil Farmhouse Ale sitting in my fridge as I type this. Well excellent, indeed. The basil flavor is very subtle. I don't have a lot of experience with farmhouse ales but I've had a few and the Fullsteam version seems like a fine example of the style.
In addition to on-site sales, they're also selling at the farmer's markets in Durham and Carrboro. I pre-ordered the other day to make sure I'd get some. They did have some available for walk-ups but by the time we got there at 9 this morning those were all gone.

Here's another fun read: One Peppercorn, a blog "about the language of food, whether fictional or factual, historical or current" (that's from the blog and I can't think of a better way to describe it). What I love about it is how they manage to get a lot of depth into short posts. Still working thru the archives but I particularly liked the posts on chocolate soup and kale (not to worry, they're not served together).
And here's more fun with food geekery: Grant Achatz contemplates a gin & tonic bubble tea. It's an MG&T!

XDU wrrld music top 10 (week ending 22 aug 10)

Cumbia Beat: Experimental Guitar Driven Tropical Sounds from Peru, 1966-1976, vol. 1 :: various
Ritornano Quelli di... :: Calibro 35
the Budos Band III :: the Budos Band
Modular :: the Pinker Tones
Shangaan Electro: New Wave Dance Music from South Africa :: various
Frutero Moderno :: Gonzalo Grau y la Clave Secreta
African Pearls: Congo: Pont Sur le Congo :: various
Live :: Vieux Farka Touré
Cantors, Klezmorim and Crooners 1905-1953: Classic Yiddish 78s from the Mayrent Collection :: various
la Superbe :: Benjamin Biolay

this week's video feature: the Budos Band

Latest example of what the internets were invented for: Pee-wee Herman blogging on HuffPo.
good times...

One more travel note from yesterday. Apparently it was state policia day or something cos there were traffic stops everywhere, esp. in NJ and VA but also in most of the other 4 states I passed thru. I don't think I saw any in DE but it's a short run thru there on 95 and there's a lot of construction going on so I might have missed something. So anyway, I have no idea what you have to do to get a ticket on the NJ Turnpike. But I can tell you that apparently the law has no interest in trucks driving down the "cars only" lanes.

Back from a short trip up to N Island to see my Mom and my brother. Mostly just hung around and visited. Did take advantage of the local Russian supermarket and several of the local pork stores to stock up on items that are, as they say, thin on the ground here in Durm. Such as rice balls, smoked Georgian cheese, Russian kielbasa, several kinds of frozen pelmeni, house-made Italian sausage, prosciutto bread. Was running late this AM and didn't make it out for one last shopping run. I'd wanted to get some capicola and sopresatta.
Mercifully, at no point in my travels was I compelled to enter into a conversation on the Sacred Burlington Coat Factory issue. Was I worried? A bit. In fact, I passed some time while driving on Friday imagining possible responses if trapped in such a scenario. As it turned out, planning that was not needed. Here (via boing²), is a nice bit of local response.

Y'know, I never thought of myself as the sort of person who was online all that much, or all the used to being online all the time but a couple of days of limited connectivity and I've found it really odd. Even though I know I won't be able to get a connection, I keep checking. And for the most part there's nothing much in my email when I do get to check it but comment sp@m announcements. But the inability to be regularly checking email or fbook updates is more upsetting to my sense of how "regular" days are supposed to progress than I'd expected. I imagine that means that what I need is to spend more time away from the intertubes. If only one could get paid for that...