Category Archives: manfolk

goodness, manfolk

Animal: A+

The LA Times does some great restaurant reviews, and recently they did one on a place called Animal.  It’s basically a carnivore’s heaven.  So I told Boyfriend about it, and we went.

the coolest purse i have ever owned

I have never had so many delicious meat dishes.  And my stomach was all, “Yes, yes, yes.”  How the fuck did it not occur to me to take a damn photo?  With my iPhone.  Which was in my tiny orange purse.  Frankly, I was too distracted by the delicious food, and the Abita beer which I love and haven’t had for years, and it went perfectly with every dish.  So while I really, really regret not taking any photos, I feel that this lapse in judgment is totally justified.

First thing: foie gras (liver), biscuit, maple sausage gravy
Ok, let me just get this part out of the way: DELICIOUS.  There it is, in caps.  Everything was delicious.  Now on to why.

So, this first dish was delic- I mean super good.  It was sweeter than I thought it would be, and not overcooked.  Texture was pleasant, not rubbery or too soft.  It had a bacon-ish, light sauce covering the whole thing.

Second thing: marrow bone, chimichurri, caramelized onions
This was my favorite dish of the night by far.  The marrow came in a giant bone cut in half with a small spoon to dish out the marrow and onion, covered in the chimichurri (a combo of parsley, garlic and olive oil).  We scooped out the marrow and put it on fluffy, sweet toast.  A completely unique experience which I loved.

Third thing: flat iron steak, sunchoke hash, truffle parmesan fondue
I’d never had a flat iron steak before.  It sounds like a bad idea, squeezing a tender piece of meat like that, but the results were great.  My favorite part of this dish was the revelation that came with it: I finally understand why people like truffles.  When Boyfriend suggested we order it, I was resistant, but because going to that restaurant was an adventure, I decided to give it a shot.  It’s the first time I’ve enjoyed truffle flavor in any dish.  So I’m pretty excited about that.

Fourth thing: poutine (french fries), ox tail gravy, cheddar
This was my least favorite, but it was still a good dish.  It tasted heavier than pot roast, but the visual resemblance was hilarious.  I thought, “We just got ripped off.  We’re totally eating a normal pot roast.  There’s definitely no ox in here, lol.”  Not a good dish to end on because it was so heavy.  But who cares, it was very tasty and hearty.

Technically, this was my birthday dinner with Boyfriend, so he drove to and from the restaurant, and paid for our meal (not cheap).  What a sweetheart.

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humor, manfolk

Check, please

So I watched The Social Network with Boyfriend the other day.  He couldn’t shut up about it.  He loves that movie so much, and I can kinda see why.  It’s very quick, the dialog is very sharp, and an excellent representation of the best (and not-so-best) of our generation.

really quite handsome

Then there’s Armie Hammer.

He plays the twins on crew who come up with the original idea upon which facebook is based.  I honestly thought there were two of them.  Imagine my disappointment.  Shit.

So naturally I looked him up online and he’s… a little plumper in most photos than he is in the movie, maybe because he had to play a hugely ripped rower (yes plz).  Christ, and his voice?  Yikes.  I kept watching the movie expecting to find some angle I didn’t like.  No dice, ladies.  This guy is just… delicious.  Sorry Boyfriend! lol

I’ve never written a post solely about some random good-looking celebrity, because that’s stupid.  But this is important.  It demonstrates a distinct shift in my racial preferences.  I would normally say, “Y’know who’s handsome?  Armie Hammer.  For a white boy.”  But I can’t really keep saying that.  I keep running into really good looking white guys, and it’s freaking me out.  My whole standard of what I consider attractive in the white male category is apparently changing, and yeah, it’s freaking me out (in a good way).  Is it time to reassess what I look for physically in a mate, or is it really not that important?  I’m gonna go with the latter for now.

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goodness, humor, manfolk

Say it: Peanut butter cup. See? Magical.

Yesterday I worked at the dojo, came home, ate ramen, biked to and taught at the park, biked home, jumped in the shower and immediately had a hankering for a Reeses peanut butter cup. I’ve been craving those recently, so I bought some at the store. But there I was, trapped in the shower, picturing them trapped in my kitchen cabinet, both of us yearning for the other.

So naturally I whined until Boyfriend came in to see what all the fuss was about. I asked him to get me a Reeses, and he shot me one of those, “C’mon… seriously?” looks. I gave him my best adorably huge smile. He rolled his eyes and headed for the kitchen. I lathered up my hair, and a short while later, Boyfriend came back with a “Look what IIIIIII goooooot!” Was it a Reeses? No. It was a cat. My neighbor’s cat. And it was not happy about being in the bathroom. Her pupils were huge. She looked like she was going to shed all her hair at once at the stress of being kidnapped by a strange man and taken into a hot, steamy room, only to encounter a dripping wet lady who then laughed, then stupidly reached out to pet her. She squirmed until my boyfriend, who was having already trouble hanging on to her, took off running out of the bathroom to let her back onto the patio, and get me my damn peanut butter cup.

He came back and reluctantly fed it to me, all the while saying, “I gotta go, I’m IMing someone about work!” I giggled and took another bite while he tried to shove the rest of it into my mouth.

We ate at Johnny Rockets while our friends (who apparently have horrible taste in restaurants) ate at Kabuki before we met at the theater upstairs to see the seventh Harry Potter movie (part I). Super depressing, but good. I need a wand.

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goodness, life, manfolk

The art of the slow-dance

I like slow-dancing, but I hate dancing to love songs. It seems trite, and I don’t like being told what to feel about the person in my arms. But I love to dance to good, slow songs like Norah Jones’ The Long Day is Over. It’s one of my all-time favorite songs.

The Long Day Is Over by Norah Jones

Slow-dancing to a song like this is the physical equivalent to making promises of love; to commit, to watch and listen carefully, to touch tenderly and thoroughly, to choose that dance partner over all others in some way. Bearing in mind that I haven’t slow-danced since high school (Winter Formal 2001!), I find it so easy to make these kind of promises because at my core, I’m just a big softie. I’m a romantic. And it kills me that no one knows this.

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anime, goodness, humor, manfolk

The fetish surfaces

So… this is embarrassing to admit, but there have been several times when I have the feeling that if a cartoon character were to come to life, I would totally hit on him. I’m not talking about a common cartoon crush or whatever. I mean… crap, what do I mean…?
It must be the whole package I’m drawn to; the environment the character is in, the simplicity of the rules, and so on. No homeless people, no menstruating, no bad haircuts, none of that crap. This must be what it’s like to have a crush on a celebrity after watching a movie.
And so, without further ado, before I blush myself into oblivion, my list of cartoon dudes I would seduce the shit out of were I given two dimensions of a chance (and the show/movie they’re featured in):

Hatake Kakashi (Naruto)- I’ll never be cool enough for this guy. Boys and girls all over Japan agree: Kakashi is the coolest. Also, a pervert.

Vash the Stampede (Trigun)- Vash is so broken and innocent. I want to take care of him. Among other things.

Spike (Cowboy Beebop)- He’s the best at what he does. His intelligence and physical skill make him a highly desirable mate. What? I’m just saying…

Ashitaka (Princess Mononoke)- What can I say about this guy? He’s the outdoorsy type, the prince of his clan, he’s quick, courageous, animals trust him, and he’s voiced by Dr. Manhattan (that last part doesn’t actually do anything for me. Trivia!)

Needless to say all of these characters are a bit damaged, because who wants a man without a past? Not me, sister. They’re also drawn with special attention, none of that HUGE ANIME EYES baloney. Don’t get me wrong, their hair is all ridiculous, but that’s how anime distinguishes one character from another. I’m over it.

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goodness, manfolk

Inception

I saw Inception, and loved it. Then I thought about it and found all kinds of holes and unexplained weirdness. It’s about dreams, so where’s the sex? Where’s the creativity? Where are the people speaking in tongues, turning into jelly, and eating themselves? Still, it’s the most fun I’ve had at a theater since How to Train Your Dragon (which was ADORABLE, btw). They’re both making it to my DVD shelf.

And then there’s this website that allows you to push a button, and play just one horn blast from the EPIC Inception soundtrack that kept me on the edge of my seat for a good 70 minutes, which hasn’t happened since Jurassic Park. Thank you, interwebz.

And when the fuck did Joseph Gordon-Levitt grow up into such a fine lookin’ gentleman? I mean, I’ve had a mild schoolgirl crush on him since Brick, but a three-piece suit? I think my eyes got paper cuts watching his scenes in Inception. Get it? Cuz he’s so SHARP.

Azula knows what I’m talkin’ ’bout.

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