We can just call this one “the salad that damn near ended my marriage”. After last week’s artichoke debacle, when I found out that this week’s Whisk Wednesdays also incorporated artichokes, I kind of curled my lip and procrastinated all week, because last week I discovered that I don’t like artichokes unless they’re an unidentifiable ingredient in another dish (still don’t know what I’m going to do about next week’s soup, which have one of the things I loathe most in the world - mussels). And since initial reviews of the other Whiskers was “meh” at best, I really wasn’t looking forward to it.

So needless to say we waited until the last minute to even start, planning on making it Wednesday night as part of dinner. Mistake #1. Knowing my history with artichokes, I decided to forego the whole boil/pluck process and instead just opened a can of artichoke bottoms. My husband fine honed his knife skill by chopping the tomatoes, cauliflower, green beans, etc. Let’s just say that my husband’s knife skills, while precise, are snail slow. He was done chopping by midnight. And I don’t know about you all, but a heavy mayonnaise dish doesn’t sound appetizing right before I go to sleep. So we decided to hold off on finishing the dish until morning.

Making the mayonnaise was tedious. Almost a half hour of whisk whisk whisking, always having to do it drop by drop lest the emulsion break. We took turns whipping and dripping, and by the time we got ready to add the vinegar both of our arms were sore. And here’s where things went really wrong.

Knowing that the mayonnaise recipe, as written, makes a ton, we decided right off the bat to scale it down to half. My husband goes looking for a tablespoon measure to add the vinegar, and makes it clear to me that we needed to add a tablespoon. So, with that in mind, I grabbed the half tablespoon measure and added a tablespoon of vinegar to the emulsion. It looked kind of watery at that point, so I asked him “you did scale down the vinegar, right?” and the next thing I hear from him is “aw shit”. My head spun around faster than Linda Blair’s in The Exorcist. And at that moment, I channeled Satan. Visions of another half hour of that whipping hell went through my mind and I flew off the handle. He made things worse by blaming the whole thing on me. Wrong idea. The mayonnaise tasted beyond vinegary, and at that point I was ready to throw the whole kit and kaboodle, including my husband, right out the back door. Let’s just say that this led to a fight of epic proportions, one of the worst we’ve had in a long time.

We never did remake the mayonnaise. The salad, frankly, was awful. But I kind of expected it to be, because the combination of flavors just didn’t sound good to me. We kept it around long enough to photograph, and then tossed it, along with the leftover vinegaraise. So sorry about the delay in getting this up, but I had to calm down first.

Let’s just hope that mussel soup next week doesn’t land us in divorce court.

It’s official, COTA has joined 47 other US transit agencies and 17 international systems on Google Transit. This should make planning a trip on COTA lot easier because Google does a better job recognizing the intersections and landmarks a user inputs. You can also flip between driving and transit directions if you want to compare travel times. So how do you use this cool new tool?

1. Go to Google Maps
2. Search for directions between two places.
3. At the top of the left frame, click on Public Transit
4. You can change departure or arrival time and date by clicking on “Options”
5. The planner will give you what it thinks are your best transit alternatives.

Here’s a screen shot of an example trip from the airport to downtown:

A few caveats:

• If you search for destinations outside the service area it will tell you something like “Your search for transit directions from Delaware, OH to N High St & E Broad St, Columbus, Franklin, Ohio 43215, United States appears to be outside our current coverage area.”
• If you search for directions to or from an area within the service area that isn’t served on that day of the week or at that time of day, it may tell you to walk to the nearest stop, even if the walk is very far or nearly impossible. For example, do you want to go from Downtown to Polaris Fashion Place today to do some shopping on your day off? No problem, just take the #1 to Westerville and walk 53 minutes to the mall.
• Polylines seem to go from stop-to-stop. So if you search for an express route that uses a freeway, the line just jumps from the last stop to downtown without following the path of the freeway. It doesn’t change the result, but it does look strange.
• A bigger problem is that Google thinks the #52 OSU-Airport route runs more regularly than it does. This route only runs on a few days a year when OSU is beginning or ending a quarter, but some searches are still telling me to take the #52, even though it is not an option on that day. I’d hate to miss a flight because of that.

via www.doodahparade.com

AFTER DOO DAH PARADE - BLOCK PARTY ON HIGH STREET
(High Street Closed Between Buttles & Russell)

GO PLAY IN THE STREET! Friday, JULY 4th, 2008 3:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
LIVE MUSIC, FUNNY STUFF, MEN FROM MARS AND OTHER THINGS! IT’S ALL FREE TO YOU BECAUSE THESE FOLKS MADE IT HAPPEN!!

Bands: 3;30 Elvis, 4;00 Elliot 12 trees, 5;00 McCallister, 6;15 Help Is On The Way, 7;15 Cellar Hound

AFTER DOO DAH PARADE - BLOCK PARTY! ON HIGH STREET
(High Street Closed Between Buttles & Russell)

Friday, JULY 4th, 2008 3:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Rain or shine.
No Carry in coolers
No Glass or cans on the street
High Street closed at crosswalks between Buttles and Russell. Russell and Buttles will remain open to traffic.
Bands are performing for free.

Your favorite independent coffeehouse wishes you a happy 4th of July.

This e-mail was sent from Jerry of The Black Swans about Noel:

Dear Friends and all,

I have some very sad news to share.

Noel Sayre, my friend and bandmate for 13 years, died early in the
morning of July 3rd due to a swimming accident in Portsmouth, Ohio on
Tuesday July 1st.

He entered the hospital in a coma and never came out of it, his heart
eventually slowing down. In the I.C.U., we listened to Rachmaninoff
and Clive Palmer, two of Noel’s favorites. He spent his time in the
hospital with his close friends and girlfriend, Kristy, who played a
big part in his happiness during the last year.

Noel and I began playing music together on New Years Eve of 1995,
opening a show for the Yips and the Bassholes at Bernies Bagels in
Columbus, Ohio. We split $100 for that gig, and so began a partnership
that quickly became a strong and lasting friendship that the Black
Swans based themselves upon.

We were always more Heckle & Jeckle and Penn & Teller than Simon &
Garfunkel, as we shared an idea about music as art, posing as
entertainment, that we explored over hundreds of gigs and several
recordings. Musically, I always stood in Noel’s shadow and Noel always
felt he was my shadow. We spoke in code, a short-hand, that sometimes
alienated others and sometimes amused them. We were kindred spirits in
many way and couldn’t be more different in others. He was quiet and
articulate, rowdy and beyond shy, hyper intelligent and incredibly
dense. I think I knew him better than anyone and it is safe to say
there was a lot I never saw. It is shocking to think he will no longer
be a part of my physical life. We both imagined that we’d be standing
on stage together when we were 80, an appropriate age for our favorite
tempo.

Besides the Black Swans, Noel was a member of the Ohio based rock band
Pretty Might Mighty, the Huntington, West Virginia Symphony Orchestra
and the Portsmouth, Ohio Symphony. Noel also gave violin lessons in
both Huntington and Portsmouth (making very little money) because he
enjoyed teaching children and believed in musical education, a
characteristic inherited from his parents who were also music teachers
in Huntington.

There’s still more of Noel’s music to be heard. Just a few days ago, a
record by Larry Jon Wilson, an obscure 1970’s country-funk songwriter,
was released on 1965 Records/ Sony UK (to be released on Hacktone
later this year in the U.S.). It has already received high praise by
Mojo, Uncut, Rick Rubin, Will Oldham, and dozens of UK papers. I hired
Noel to play on it, accompanying only Larry Jon’s voice and guitar, so
he’s surely a big part of the album’s critical success.

Too, I’m happy to say he already recorded his parts for the next Black
Swans album and, as always, played with intelligence, humor, and a
transcendent pallet of emotions.

Noel taught me a lot about myself. As we played witness to one
another, we stuck to our guns, charting each others growth as a person
and a musician. We went through a lot together, good and bad, always
expressing ourselves in different ways, but never an unkind word was
exchanged, always caring and supportive. I can’t imagine my life or
music without him.

Noel is survived by only a cousin. A memorial service is being planned
in Huntington, WV on Saturday July 12. Donations are being accepted to
pay for the expenses. Please email theblackswansband@gmail.com for
details on the service and contributions in a few days.

Much love, Jerry

Nice article in the Alive today about the Lincoln Theater redevelopment going on over here just around the corner from our house. Hearing the construction noise is actually really pleasant. Progress on developing the neighborhood! Can’t wait until this opens up and we see more visitors and foottraffic on Long Street. Perhaps a few other businesses will be popping up shortly afterwards.

The Alive
Crowning the King-Lincoln
By John Ross
July 3, 2008

Little more than a dirt floor, crumbling brick and a dilapidated marquee when renovations began earlier this year, the historic Lincoln Theatre is shaping up to become the crown jewel of the King-Lincoln District, once the city’s thriving African-American cultural hub.

Opened in 1928 as the Ogden Theater & Dance Hall, the 60,000-square-foot theater is set to reopen in April 2009. The building, located on Long Street just east of I-71, has been closed since the early 1970s.

Aware of the structure’s historic importance and the need to bring it up to code, the Columbus Association of Performing Arts is trying to strike a balance between traditional charm and modern convenience. Original Egyptian-style motifs will be restored, as will the historic lobby and a vintage film projector. Structural changes will include moving the entrance to the west side of the building and constructing a balcony on the second floor to increase capacity to 574.

READ MORE

Related Stories:
- Coffee shop helping to revive King-Lincoln District
- Love of history drives King Lincoln restoration
- King Lincoln attracts public, private interest