10_0501 | martha, cancel my appointments…

We’ve all been there: you’re loaded up with work to do and no time to do it in.  You’ve got to complete this scale model of Red Square, tune the carburetor on the Buick, roast six pounds of coffee, collate these 1000 pages, and teach that chimpanzee black belt karate all in the next 24 hours or the Earth will explode and everyone will blame you.  Trust me, it’s a more common occurrence than you would think.  Looks like you’ll be facing an all-night blitz to get this century’s “To Do” list done in one night.  Luckily and unfortunately, I am well-versed in the ways of the all-nighter.  My credentials you ask?  My last year in college, of the 180 school nights, I went sleepless for 57 of them.  Yes, that is nearly one in three.  Yes, I probably shaved a good dozen years off my life [I hope not next year, I need that one].  And yes, I will share my expertise with you.   With my help, an all-nighter will be easier than quantum physics.

This little piece of work kept me awake for nearly 1/3 of my last year in college.

Obviously, the most important thing to pulling an all-nighter is maintaining momentum.  At no point do you want a lull that may cost you your consciousness.  Remember, sleep means the Earth will destroy itself.  Thus, it is imperative that you do everything you can to stay awake.  Before you start, there is a checklist of things to do/get that you will find helpful:

1.   A ridiculous supply of your preferred stimulant.  Most people go for caffeine as it is the most readily available [and legal].  I suggest having a pound or two of coffee beans at the ready, or, if you don’t mind the taste: an energy drink.  If I must, I prefer Rockstar Punched.  It tastes like fruit punch.

2.   Get into comfortable clothes.  I’ve got an old hoodie and pajama pants that are second to none when it comes to comfort.  Now you might think that being comfortable will induce sleep and you’d be right.  This is an occupational hazard.  But on the other hand, you want to reduce stress or strain on the body as much as possible to keep your energy levels up.  Uncomfortable clothes will drain you in a 24-hour haul. 

3.   Fuel.  No, not unleaded.  I’m talking food.  Health and junk food is a must.  Apples are superb because they contain chemicals that have as much waking power as a cuppa joe.  You want to combine carbs with protein.  Carbs for the right now boost and protein for energy later when you aren’t hungry.

4.   Fan or air mobilizer.  This may seem strange, but believe me, you want some sort of air circulation when you’ve been sitting in the same spot for the past 16 hours.  It will help keep your area fresh and cool.  It’s harder to sleep when it’s cold.

5.   A high-energy playlist.  If you can stand the pulse lifting thump-thump-thump of techo, this could be the best.  Speed metal and punk are also good alternatives.  This should be something you agree with and enjoy.  The last thing you want is soul, classical, or chill-out music.  Load up your iTunes with 24 hours of your favorite up-tempo sounds and get ready for the long haul.

6.   Timer.  Set it for 2 hour intervals.  The reasons for this are threefold: should you fall asleep, it’ll wake you up in a couple hours.  When the timer dings, get up, walk around, and stretch.  Stretching gets the blood flowing and keeps your body loose—preventing that strain and stress that will kill your energy.  Also, the timer reminds you to grab a small snack. 

Now that you have your checklist, it’s time to dig in and get to work.  Now, you may be tempted to toss back a couple cups of coffee or your Red Bull before you start.  Don’t do it!  You want to keep a slow, steady IV of caffeine coming.  This will prevent you from overloading on caffeine which will make you lose focus.  A slow stream also decreases the possibility of a crash later.  Sip your coffee slowly throughout the night.  A cup should last at least an hour, if not two. You don't want to burnout artificially.

It might look like a soft place for a nap, but it's not a good idea to sleep

in a chicken house.  They stink of ammonia and are full of poop.  Oh and chickens.

If you’re eyes are starting to close and you’re slowly slipping off this plane of consciousness, get up, walk around, stretch, get a boost of caffeine, eat some snacks, and then, if you can, do something else on your list [that monkey’s not going to train itself].  Switching tasks forces your brain to focus on something else and wakes you up a little. 

Lastly, take regular breaks [every 4-5 hours].  It not only revives you, but gives you something to look forward to.  You can make mini-goals for yourself: for example: “I’m going to make up six more Chuck Norris jokes then take a break.”  These mini-goals motivate you, diminish the ominous feeling of a huge to do list, and help you to perceive yourself as moving forward [which is key for morale].  However, it is important to keep the breaks short—no more than 20 minutes.  Much longer than that and you won’t want to get back to work.

Follow these directions and before you know it the sun will be rising and you’ll be on the home-stretch.  If Jack Bauer can do 24 hours, so can you, because that sissy is no Chuck Norris.

10_0517 | dinner in the tres…

Again, with the dinner parties…

To celebrate the gringo Mexican holiday, I put together the most authentic menu humanly possible.  I’m talking about recipes from dusty remote villages in the high plains of Mexico handed down for generaciones.  I’m talking about a menu that would bring Ricardo Montalban back to the streets of Mexico City.  This dinner was so authentic, it was illegal to serve it outside of Mexico.  It was ridiculous.  What did I serve you ask?  Hold on: I’ll feed you baby birds.  First off, we started with Greek Machos [from Greece!], then moved to Gazpacho de la Fruta [from Spain!], beer-battered Fish Tacos [from Baja!], and finished with Piña y Pasión [from me!].  Authentic, I know!  It was an amazing feast, but the food couldn’t hold a candle to the company.  I guess I’ll have to work on that.

Potato chips served w/ tzatziki and ground lamb make excellent appetizers.

  

The Greek nachos are a pile of fried potatoes, seasoned ground lamb, tzatziki sauce, and tomato.  It tastes like a Grecian party in your mouth [sans the Ouzo].

Nothing is more 'summer' to me than a bowl full of fresh fruits

and vegetables.  This gazpacho is perfect for the hot days.

From Spain, we have an amazing summer dish.  Every spoonful is literally a spoon full of summer.  I’m not kidding: the recipe is sunshine, water, sun-block, and boating.  To make it, mix all the ingredients in a 30 quart food processor [that sunshine takes up a lot of space] and pulse until coarsely chopped.  Serve with a sprig of mint.

Beer-battered and piled with sloppy sauces, these tacos

hit the spot, especially when doused with fresh squeezed lime.

The only Mexican dish consisted of beer-battered tilapia, red cabbage, fish taco sauce, and salsa wrapped in the world’s most amazing tortillas.  These tortillas were hand-made on the stomachs of Mexican virgins.  No, they weren’t actually, but they are really good.  Next time you’re at the store, buy La Tortilla Factory chipotle corn tortillas. 

Tired of childish desserts?  Add vodka to juice and fruit sorbet

for a mature dessert that doubles as a nightcap.

We finished up with a little dessert cocktail I call piña y pasión.  It consists of three kinds of sorbet, two kinds of juice, and one kind of vodka. 

Be sure to visit my recipes page to get the recipes from this dinner.  The meal had an amazing summer quality to it and I will surely be making the tacos over and over again.  If you would like to have me come over and make you this dinner, you can find out how by clicking this link.

10_0508 | hoe v. spade...

In this hearing of the Supreme Earth Council, the two concerned parties, Hoe, representing organic agriculture, and Spade, representing chemical agriculture, fought over rights to the title of ‘Best Practices.’  The Supreme Earth Council was unanimous in their decision, handing title over to Hoe after one of the shortest debates on record. 

The court battle consisted of three areas: environment, health, and taste.  Each area was to be discussed in the classic point-counterpoint style.  Spade started the environment category with a dramatic and enigmatic speech garnished with free samples provided by agri-business giants and government subsidies.  The court seemed impressed with his genetically modified smile, clone-like assistants, and robust dusting of agrichemical perfume.  Hoe, with his natural looks and that genuine gleam in his eye easily countered all of Spade’s points.  However, at first the Earth Council was hesitant to even hear Hoe’s argument, given that his fees were more than Spade’s and he wasn’t as readily available as his opponent.  What follows is a summary of Hoe’s winning points:

On the environment:

• Organic agriculture uses no synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or other harsh agrichemicals—chemicals that harm the environment and may leave residues on the foods you consume.
• While crop loss in chemical agriculture is 20 percent higher than it was before we got on the chemical band wagon, organic crop loss is significantly lower. 
• Insects’ huge gene pool and quick evolution quickly render pesticides useless, as science cannot develop new pesticides fast enough.
• Agrichemicals are often vastly over-applied—to the point that nitrogen from fertilizer and agrichemical runoff has created a dead-zone [a place where nothing can live] the size of New Jersey at the mouth of the Mississippi in the Gulf of Mexico.
• Organic agriculture promotes healthier soil through biodiversity, increased soil biota, and natural fertilization, which can be tenfold more productive than that of chemical agriculture.
• The veritable desert that is the monoculture of traditional agricultural practices acts as an all-you-can-eat buffet for pests, destroys biodiversity, and destroys topsoil. 

On health:

• Several studies show that there is no significant human health benefit to eating organic food vs. non-organic.  However, if you ask me [and since you’re reading my blog, you kinda are] if I had the option of eating something that has been sprayed with a chemical and one that hasn’t, I’m going to choose the one that hasn’t.  You say the non-organic has been washed to “safe levels”?  Okay, tell you what.  Go dunk a Granny Smith in 10W-30, wash it off, and see if you still want to eat it.  Didn’t think so.
• Other studies show that several foods have higher amounts of healthy nutrients [antioxidants] in them.  Don’t take my word for it: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6272634.stm and http://www.goodnessgreeness.com/information/organic_news/

On taste:

• Organic foods taste better.  Undeniable proof: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z8CWdRaQpw

Author’s note:  I have found that organics absolutely do taste better, and what’s more, they last longer [which also affects taste].  My vegetables stay fresh longer, and the organic milk is Herculean in its staying power.  This stuff just won’t sour.  I’ve left it in there for weeks after the expiration date and it comes out just as good as the day I opened it up. 

I don’t care too much about the health aspects of organic, or the fact that it tastes better.  Being unemployed, the tendency for organics to stick around longer is becoming increasingly more important, but the main reason I do it is for concern for the planet.  Whether you believe in global warming or not, it is plain fact that traditional agriculture practices are having a detrimental effect on the natural systems.  I’d prefer to not contribute to that.

10_0501 | summer sips...

I know this is a design blog, but I can’t deny my attachment to food, even as a designer.  I feel that cooking is one of the ultimate expressions of design and can be every bit as complicated as architectural design.  So here we have a few more recipes.

Since we finally got rid of that pesky rain and the warm weather is ultimately upon us, your choice in beverage will likely change.  The beefy stouts and smoky porters are replaced with refreshing Mexican lagers and light pale ales.  Your thoughts drift from heavier whiskey drinks to fruity rum-based concoctions.  I’ve got three [new] cocktails to cool your thirst.  Put down the mojitos and margaritas, these cocktails have a summer-drink prowess to rival even the most established mainstay--plus you’ll look super sophisticated holding one of these.

This recipe was bestowed unto me by Murray Stenson at Zig Zag in Seattle.  Murray was named one of the Top 10 Bartenders in America by Playboy magazine [link goes the the Playboy article and may be NSFW].  The drink is so named for the famous bartendress Charlotte Voisey. 

Hot Charlotte: cucumber and Hendrick's gin give this

cocktail un-paralleled crispness.

hot charlotte

Muddle a teaspoon of diced cucumber with 4-8 dashes Tabasco in a shaker.  Add 1 ¾ oz. Hendrick’s gin, 1 oz. St. Germaine, ½ oz. lemon juice.  Shake with ice and strain over ice.  Serve with a cucumber slice.

My suggestion is to take two and relax on the porch/balcony/deck with a nice book.  It is ridiculously delicious and will go down quickly, especially on a hot summer day, so be careful.  Use less Tabasco if you are not a fan of spicy.

This next drink is an invention of my own: 

Hudson: with classic flavors indicative of an earlier era,

this cocktail is as sophisticated and masculine as Clark Gable.

hudson

In a shaker with ice, combine 2 parts Chivas Regal [any Scotch will do, but Chivas is best], 1 part St. Germaine, and 4 dashes Peychaud’s aromatic bitters.  Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass.  Serve with a slice of lemon rind.

Named for the sedans popular in the 30s and 40s, this drink has a masculine flavor that reminds one of that era when pencil-thin moustaches and Brylcreem reigned supreme.  Though this drink uses Scotch, the St. Germaine and lemon rind take the edge off the golden nectar that some find too harsh.  It is light and aromatic but packs a punch.  One of these is plenty.

This last cocktail is inspired by a cocktail I had in Seattle.  Please, if anyone knows the true name and/or amounts of liquor involved, let me know!  I greatly enjoyed this cocktail.

Danish Fog: complex herbal notes make this cocktail a layered

treat.  Cooling gin mixed with savory akvavit dazzle all the palette's 

flavor centers.

danish fog

In a shaker with ice, combine 3 parts Hendrick’s gin, 1 part Aalborg Akvavit, and a dash of absinthe.  Stir and strain into a chilled martini glass.  Serve with a couple lime curls.  CAUTION: shaking will cause the liquors to 'bruise' and you will lose the depth of flavors, so stir it!.

Now, when I say dash, I mean get a cocktail straw, stick it into the absinthe about an inch or so, plug the top with your finger and remove the straw.  That’s about all the absinthe you need.  This is a very light but complex cocktail.  The complexity of the akvavit and gin should be prominent, while the absinthe should only offer a tinge of anise flavor to the tail end of the sip.  The name comes from the addition of akvavit [a Scandinavian drink popular in Denmark] to what is basically a traditional London Fog.