I am no longer a default bird owner.

This year Natalie and I decided to put a spending limit on presents for each other, since if we want something we'll just go get it. That and we were spending a bit of dough on some other presents, anyway, it was like $20.

I got her the Muppet Movie, which she'd never seen, the heretic.

She got me...pain in a bag, and I love her for it.

Six bags really, of Blairs Death Rain habenero potato chips. She also got a jar of dry rub, which as far as we can tell is the same thing they put on the chips. These chips are great. I got totally hooked on them at my old job and would hound the vending machine guy about whether he had any this trip. The first time I saw them I got a bag and a Dr Pepper and went back to my desk. Big deal "hot BBQ chips, yeah and?". They sort of catch you off guard that first time. There's some decent heat there for a potato chip. I drained my Dr Pepper during that first bag, and made what I figure to be the classic rookie mistake of going for the crumbs at the bottom of the bag. Got some in my eye I guess when I tipped the bag up, big mistake.

A few weeks ago I read a funny blog entry about what happens when a cocky curry eater meets Blair for the first time and takes a 16 million Scoville unit trip to hell and back. It made me want my Habanero and Crack flavored chips, and Natalie came through in a big way.

Seriously, they're not that hot (they're not "mild"), and you won't die. Just try some and you'll become hopelessly addicted I'm sure. No "heat for heat's sake", they taste good. I think Blair uses an opium extract in the fry oil, it's the best theory out there for why these things are this addictive.

[music | Love & Rockets - Shelf Life]

Natalie and I took her youngest sister (as a high school graduation present) and her mom (as a mothers day present) to see Loreena McKennitt...

[music | Sneaker Pimps - Tesko Suicide]

Yaargh mateys, 'tis time for some roomservice fit for a pirate. My boss and I decided against walking around in gale force winds to find a restaurant, and I knew no one in their right mind would seat me in the hotel restaurant, so I ordered room service and watched Good Eats instead. I was surprised.

This is justification after someone (British no less) made fun of my canapes last night...

I don't eat meat, it has been a year since I've had even chicken. I decided not to tempt fate too much and just ordered (safety) chicken, I wasn't disappointed.

The executive chef here, Justin Leboe is a rookie, starting roughly last May or so. Here is a good writeup of some of the interesting first Trial by Fire when the only power plant on the island was "temporarily offline" (read huge explosion that made our hosting provider run off generators for several weeks after).

Evidently, he's a capable triathlete(team stats, 12th place, he's the fast one) as well, which seems incongruous with the "image" of a chef. (Flay's Boobies, Bourdain's self-poisoning, Todd English's barely contained psychopathy, that thing).

Anyway, I'll start it off:

Pan fried chicken, creamy polenta, mushrooms, fava beans, endives and an asparagus tip or two.

[music | Hanzel Und Gretyl + My Air Conditioner]

Here are some photos from day 1. We didn't get in until like 10pm, so the pics are just my room, and the weather kind of sucks today (well, on and off, like it always is here).



I think we were on the front plane out of Boston on our way to JFK.

Tonight, my wife and I made cookies:

These are very orangy and we dipped them in chocalate on the backside, really good.
They're made from a carved wooden roller and then hand painted: