Crabcakes.

I realize this is slightly in the same vein as my Old Bay post, but I just bought my plane tickets home for Memorial Day weekend, and I’m already so excited, I can’t even handle it.  Why?  This is why:

Crabcake, friends.  Crabcake.  Now don’t get me wrong, there is a certain joy to be had in picking your own crab, it’s one of my favorite things to do on earth – but there is nothing like a crabcake.

I won’t say I’m a crabcake connoisseur, I won’t go that far.  But I do know a good crabcake when I see one.  So, if you trust my opinion, (which you should), if you want a good crabcake, and are ever in the Chesapeake Bay area, head on over to Edgewater Restaurant, on Mayo Road off Route 2.  You won’t be disappointed, I can promise you that right now.  (If this was a few years ago, I would have said go to Stoney’s, but they’ve gone downhill in the past few years - plus, they stole their recipe from Tony’s.  It’s just a fact.)

Anyway, less than a month till I’m home and I can enjoy this delicacy.  Plus, you know, all of the other things Calvert County has to offer.  I’m excited.

Lost

The wait is finally over.  Lost returns tonight, after a five week strike hiatus, for six hours worth of episodes.  I thought this day would never come.  And yes, I know so many of you out there hate the show – but I don’t.  I love this show.  Sure, it can be slow, it can be deliberately vague, it doesn’t always answer questions.  Even I wanted to break up with the show during the first six episodes of Season 3.  But the show came back, starting with the spring opener, “Not In Portland”, and only got better from there, ending with “Through The Looking Glass”, a game-changer if there ever was one.  (I don’t count the Bai Ling episode.) 

And now, in Season 4, we’ve continued that trend, hitting a high note with “The Constant” - the best episode of the series to date.  In my opinion.  And now we head into the final stretch, an hour longer than we’d expected at the beginning of the strike.  Bravo, writers, for writing the finale not for time, but for story.  And bravo, ABC, for giving the show the extra hour it needed.  With only two seasons and five episodes left, I’ll take all the extra Lost I can get.

Muxtape.

Thanks to Lianna, who sent it to me, gave me a theme idea, and really did everything but pick the songs, I now have a muxtape.

http://stepliana.muxtape.com/

 I’m not really sure how, or if, it’s legal, but I’ll make the most out of it before it a) gets taken down, or b) becomes too way too hipster for me.  Although it looks like option b is already all too true for some people.  Either way, I’m enjoying it for now.  It combines everything I love -  music, finding new music, mixes (I love mixes), and to quote Los Campesinos!, trying to find the perfect match between pretentious and pop.  What could be better?  The answer: nothing.

Romeo & Juliet

This weekend, I was trying to find a clip from the PBS airing of Swan Lake to show a friend.  I found the clip, but along the way, I also found this. 

You guys, look at them.  Angel’s face!  Alessandra’s smile!  The lift, oh, the lift.  I could watch this for days.

Sand Castles in the Sand

Well, friends. I have returned. If you’re at all interested, there are pictures to be found here. I’m glad I went. But I can’t lie, I’m glad to be back. And for good reason.

Yes, it’s time. Time for a new Robin Sparkles song. For those of you not in the know, Robin Sparkles is the stage name of one Robin Scherbatsky, played by Cobie Smulders on How I Met Your Mother. A teen pop star in Canada, her hit song “Let’s Go To The Mall” featured prominently in the “Slap Bet” episode of HIMYM. At last count, I’ve watched that episode at least 20 times.

But what we didn’t know then is that “Let’s Go To The Mall” had a B-side. I present to you, “Sand Castles in the Sand“. Yes, friends. Yes. Featured in the April 21 episode of the same name, we finally get the second Robin Sparkles single, written about her relationship with – wait for it – her back up dancer, played by Dawson himself, James Van Der Beek.  Clips of the video are starting to hit, too.  It’s glorious.

It’s almost too amazing for words. Let’s hope that the return of Robin Sparkles finally pushes this show off the bubble. A show this good doesn’t deserve to have to wait for its renewal. Come on, CBS. Let’s do this.

To Tide You Over While Step’s Out of Town

Cross posted to my blog. Since Step’s in Vienna thought I’d screw with her blog. Heh heh. Now if only I could figure out who hid all of her penguins.

So, I’ve been making this face at Adam Brody pictures ever since he started getting all scruffy. Actually, I probably always made that face, but that’s because I don’t really like him and I hate the O.C. But I kept thinking he looked like someone, and I had the feeling that it was someone I feel fondly toward.

With heavy heart, I realized who he was reminding me of… one of my true loves… Tony Almeida. Well, the actor’s name is Carlos Bernard, but I’m not in love with Carlos.

As we mourn a year without 24, few more pics for comparison…

In honor of Rose, who finally blogged.

The songs I listened to on my morning commute: a mix between the new Submarines album, Honeysuckle Weeks, Challengers, by The New Pornographers, and Hold On Now, Youngster…, by Los Campesinos!.  (I needed a dance party in my ears, the weather is awful.)  Honeysuckle Weeks leaked about a week ago, right around the time I received the new Blondfire album from CDBaby.  Sad to say, I’ve been neglecting Blondfire ever since.   But Honeysuckle Weeks is just so good – and I’ve been waiting for new Submarines almost as long as I’ve been waiting for new Antlerand (and we all know that’s never going to happen.)

I’ve noticed that ever since I got my iPod touch, I’ve been listening to more complete albums, rather than creating playlists, which is something I used to put enormous amounts of time into.  It’s just easier to turn the iPod on its side, flick through the album art, and pick a CD.  Playlists?  Far too much work.  I’ll have to start doing it again, though.  There’s nothing like listening to a stream of songs, and never having to hit ‘next’.

There isn’t much of a point to this post, other than ‘This is the music I listened to today’, and ‘Oh, I don’t make playlists anymore’, so I’ll continue with not having a point, and end this post with ‘Things people have said about this blog’.

Leah: oh, i’m addicted to your blog.  hilarious 

Jeff: YOU? have a blog?  its not creepy and introspective is it?

Francesca: This is why I love your blog.  It’s the one shiny constant in a world full of chaos

It’s inspiring, isn’t it?  I thought so.  In addition, I’ve also inspired two people to try Old Bay.  I’m telling you, you should trust my taste in things.  You can’t lose.  And with that, I leave you all for a week.  See you next Sunday, post-Office return, but pre-Lost.  I just can’t win.

Friday Night Lights

Today marks a momentous occasion in TV. So momentous, in fact, that I truly believed this day would never come. The day where Ben Silverman made a decision that would actually make television better. Because today, at NBC’s way-early upfronts, he annouced that Friday Night Lights has been renewed for a third season.

Friends. This show? Is amazing. There aren’t enough words of praise I can say about it, it’s the most true-to-life drama on network television today, and the fact that it’s ignored by award shows (minus the Peabodys) and viewers is an utter travesty. The cast, led by Kyle Chandler (who I’ve loved since like, 7th grade) and Connie Britton, is arguably one of the best casts to grace the small screen, and the on location shooting in Austin provides a depth of realism that’s hard to find anywhere else.

And I know, you’re thinking, “But I don’t like football.” Hey! I’m not a huge fan myself. The closest I got to being a fan was going to all of the games in high school, and that really was just something you did back then, especially if you were dating a player on the team. But it’s not about football. Really. Friday Night Lights is about football in the same way that Grey’s Anatomy is about medicine.

So, give it a chance. The deal for the third season involves NBC and DirecTV spreading the costs between the two companies, which then has the 13 episode season premiere in October on DirecTV, with the episodes to then air on NBC beginning in February. Still the same timeslot as last year, Fridays at 9 pm, but I guess we can’t ask for too much. Plus, Ben Silverman has Office spinoffs to focus on. (This is a terrible idea. Worse than McSpaced.) So, rejoice, fans. Friday Night Lights lives to air another season. I know I never thought it would happen. I’ll take what I can get.

Friday Night Lights airs Fridays at 9 pm EST on NBC. (And DirecTV.)

Old Bay

I was inspired to post about my neverending love for Old Bay for two reasons. One, I dreamt I was eating Crab Chips last night. (The Utz kind, not this Lay’s nonsense.) And two, Lianna posted about her favorite condiment, so I thought I’d post about mine.

Growing up in the Chesapeake Bay area (I lived a 2 minute walk from the Bay until I was 6, then we moved to right on the Patuxent), I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love Old Bay. And for good reason – Old Bay is one of the greatest spices known to man. A combination of: celery salt, bay leaf, mustard seed, both black and red pepper, cinnamon, and ginger (thanks, Wikipedia!), the ingredients combine to create a perfect storm of flavor that tastes good on just about anything – crabs, chicken, popcorn, chips, eggs, fries, soup, the list is neverending. Can you imagine a pot of steamed crabs without Old Bay poured on top? I can’t. Even non-Maryland residents love it.  You can even do a line of it!  Just ask Ben.

Don’t believe me? Then read these testimonials:

Well, it’s obviously delicious. But aside from that, it is versatile. Yes, it’s great on popcorn. And let’s face it, crabs without Old Bay would be bland. You might as well eat lobster. – Elaina, 23, Washington, D.C.

Because Old Bay = Maryland.  It’s good on anything: crabs, chicken, shrimp, eggs, etc.  I feel sorry for people who don’t know what Old Bay is.  – Leah, 24, Huntingtown, MD

See what I mean?  If you don’t trust me, trust them.  Feel free to leave your own testimonials in the comments.  This post has made me miss Maryland.  At least I have Old Bay to comfort me.