Voodoo Music Experience 2008

So I've clearly been hampered by my inability to hold down solid food this week, and I've been busy with my cousin's impending nuptials (eek! tomorrow!), but without further delay, here are a few snaps from Voodoo...for D. and me, Voodoo's line-up this year was like going back to high school, minus the cassette tapes and awkward puberty.


Highlights:
R.E.M. (if you know me, you're not surprised)
Thievery Corporation
Ghostland Observatory
Cowboy Mouth
Old 97's

Great, but man, I'm getting old:
Nine Inch Nails

Mediocre as hell:
Lil' Wayne

Dear Florida Democratic Party

Please stop spamcalling my cell phone.

I've asked you very nicely FOUR TIMES now to place me on your do-not-call list.

I already voted, yeaux.

Best,
Cait

Submitted without comment

Wearing my now-retro CP3 jersey at the gamewatch last night at Handsome Willy's.

GEAUX HORNETS!

(Note: Check out hornets247.com. Those guys are HIGH-larious and very cool.)

Michael Stipe, meet my stomach bug.

At least I'm pretty sure it's a stomach bug.

So it's fall now.

Crime is down in our 'hood.

Florida State is winning.

The Saints (yet again) have a new kicker and a punter.

Voodoo was awesome, and I managed to not throw up while pogoing up and down like a 15 year-old at a boy band concert as Michael Stipe and the rest of R.E.M. electrified City Park.

This is why Drew Brees rocks my world.

Well, in a completely platonic way, at least.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nfcsouth/0-4-130/Chargers-provide-extra-motivation-for-Brees.html

A Voodoo Quandary

So D. and I have weekend passes for Voodoo, and are entering Round 2 of out-of-town guests this week with some friends from south Florida up for the music shindig at City Park.

With some dismay I note that the Old 97's, only one of the greatest live bands ever, are scheduled to play somewhere during the second quarter of the FSU-Virginia Tech game.

Even worse, the Cold War Kids and Blind Boys of Alabama are scheduled during the Saints' London game.

WHAT TO DO? WHAT TO DO?

Do I DVR the FSU game and pray that my friends (ahem, Fudge) won't send me texts about the game? Or do I avoid my longstanding crush on Rhett Miller's foxy ways and faithfully cheer on my Noles?

Do I give up on the Saints and assume that this season has become a dismal lost cause due to injuries and hideous playcalling? Or do I eschew the weird musical stylings of "Hang Me Up To Dry"?

There's only one certainty, and that is R.E.M.

Oh yes, you will see me at the R.E.M. show. And it might be a little bit scary, because I'll be the zealot singing along to EVERY. SINGLE. SONG.

(That's how strong my love is, yeaux. No offense meant to Otis.)

Frothy, sugary fun.

I don't normally buy into the manufactured pop music, but this song is infectious and fun - and the single has just been released in the UK. Enjoy!

(Everyone getting excited about Voodoo?)

Life is a mixed bag o' crazy.

Pros:
The weather is incredible here right now.
No one is shooting up our neighborhood.
D.'s parents are visiting (thus the bloggish absence).
Our house is surprisingly neat.

Cons:
Family crap.
Exhaustion.

Questions:
Anyone know of a good rehearsal dinner venue?

Yes, yes.

Sukkot is ongoing, so I've been off work.

I've flyered the neighborhood in advance of a neighborhood association meeting, and now I'm the secretary.

I've lost 7 pounds.

I've got to clean the house, because D.'s parents are coming to visit.

My glasses hurt my eyes...but my contacts hurt worse.

I am envious of D.'s metabolism.

In 15 days, my cousin is getting married, and I've been swamped planning her wedding.

I apparently still fit into the dress I wore to my college graduation. Kerrrazy.

I need a nap. Maybe a vacation?

Hmmm.

The diet.

Oktoberfest = Diet Killer

Saints Home Loss to GUS FREROTTE = Diet Restorer

Despite the excesses of Oktoberfest and FSU-UM viewing this past weekend, I managed to regroup and lose a pound.

24 lbs. to go before I hit my skinny jeans size.

On a separate note, does anyone know of any not overpriced, giant dog-friendly places for rent in uptown or Mid-City? We had a less than positive experience with our landlord's new management company yesterday, and we're pretty much hit our wall.

FINALLY.

A diss song for mild-mannered yuppies everywhere:



This - this, people, is what the world has been lacking.

Finally, someone has filled the void - and by someone, I mean the Wojahn Brothers.

Big Lebowski, meet Big Poppa.

In heaven there is no beer.

That's why we drink it here.

D. and I ventured over to Deutsches Haus on Saturday night after FSU hung on to beat Miami and K-State lost to Texas Tech.

Once we entered the building, he was in his element, surrounded by other lanky, pale people who likewise enjoyed singing songs about saw horses and eating sausages.

Ah yes, D. was among his people.

We drank Paulaner, danced the chicken dance and bellowed along to "Ja, das ist eine Schnitzel Bank" repeatedly.

And we had a blast - unfortunately, that means I fell off the weight loss wagon, so I'm trying to climb back on again this week.

I made several strudels last night - here's a relatively healthy recipe:

Apple Strudel

(makes 2, serves 12-16)

5 tart apples (peeled, cored and sliced)

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

Juice of 1 lemon

3/4 cup Splenda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

3/4 cup almonds, ground (pecans work well, too)

8 ounces phyllo pastry, 1/2 box,thawed

1 cup margarine, melted

1 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs, finely crushed

Mix apples with lemon, lemon rind, sugar, cinnamon, and almonds. Set aside. Heat a couple of tablespoons of the melted margarine in a skillet over medium heat - stir in the breadcrumbs until crispy. Place 1 phyllo leaf on a sheet of wax paper and brush with melted margarine. Place a second leaf on top and repeat. Repeat until 6-7 leaves have been used, using about 1/2 cup of margarine.

Sprinkle 3/4 cup crumbs on the layered dough. Mound 1/2 of the filling in a 3-inch strip along the narrow end of the fillo, leaving a 2-inch border. Lift wax paper, using it to roll leaves over apples, jelly roll style. Brush top of the strudel with margarine and sprinkle with 2 T crumbs. Repeat the entire procedure for the second strudel. Bake the strudels (make sure the pan you use has sides, or the margarine will drip over the sides) at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until browned.

SAVE THE HAUS!

Kicking Friday off on a happy note...

GO SEMINOLES!

Going off the rails on a crazy train...

Seriously. Did you know that 5,000 people were mysteriously shot, execution-style, and dumped in some sort of 21st century Katyn Massacre reenactment?

That's what Acclaimed Looney Cynthia McKinney is claiming - that 5,000 prisoners were murdered in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, only to be dumped in the bayous of southeastern Louisiana.

But wait, you say. Why haven't we heard about this before?

Per Green Party presidential candidate McKinney, it's, "uh...because they ['they' theoretically being the shooters, approved by the Department of Defense] signed a silence agreement."

Maybe she's just been watching "Southern Comfort" too much of late.

In honor of Miami Week...

May I present...



GEAUX NOLES!

(This, um, assumes, more consistency from behind center.)