eclectica, a weblog

I don’t remember the totaly rad fads of the ’80s very well, according to this fun quiz from mental_floss. I only scored 50%. Oh, well, my excuse for that: I wasn’t really conscious of fads until the mid- to late ’80s and most certainly wasn’t a Corey Feldman fan.

By the way, is it just me…or is everyone else feeling nostalgic for the ’80s, too? I’ve noticed everything ’80s is suddenly cool again. I can dig that, but please, dear God, don’t bring shoulder pads back into fashion. On the other hand, I think I may need to get myself a pair of jelly shoes. They’d be perfect for summer — and oh, so fun!

I just discovered David O’Doherty’s comedy on YouTube. He’s absolutely hilarious and reminds me of Demetri Martin, my favorite comedian. After listening to this clip from David and this one from Demetri, I’m weak with laughter. I haven’t laughed that hard in ages. Ah, I really needed that

Ah, I’ve neglected the blog again. It’s not that I’ve nothing to write about; it’s that I’m not in the habit of writing here often. Anyway, enough excuses. I’m writing now, aren’t I? Heh.

Some music related stuff that has made me happy recently:

Since first mentioning Joe Purdy, I purchased two of his albums, “Paris in the Morning” and “You Can Tell Georgia” from Amazon MP3. I’ve totally fallen in love with them, too, especially “Paris in the Morning.” I’m sure you’d laugh if you could see me singing along to the songs and dancing in my living room. ;) It’s not often that I find music that has such a dramatic effect on me, but There’s just something about Purdy’s songs that put me in a good mood. I’m listening to “Brand New Set of Wings” right now and it has me smiling like a fool. How can I not love that?

Speaking of music that has a dramatic effect on me, Josh Groban’s “Awake Live” CD/DVD will be released on May6th. I talked all about that on this week’s Random Fandom show, by the way. From the sound of the first single, “Awake,” the CD/DVD is going to be superb. The concert I attended last March was fabulous, so I’m really looking forward to reliving it through “Awake Live”! I’m sure it willhelp tide me over until Josh releases his next album, which is supposed to drop some time next year, I hear.

My first thought when reading the recipe for chocolate chip cookie pie was “no way!” It just seemed over the top, but since I had the ingredients on hand, I decided to give it a try last weekend. Turns out, it’s scrumptious! Everyone who tried it absolutely raved on about how yummy it was, which pleased me, of course. I’m always happy to find a crowd-pleaser. Another nice thing about the recipe: It’s super simple. Yay!

Joshua Radin has released a four-song EP exclusively on iTunes titled “Unclear Sky.” I’m dying to get my hands on it, but iTunes isn’t accessible to me. Argh! The EP includes a duet with Ingrid Michaelson (another of my favorite singer/songwriters), which I really want to hear. To make matters worse, Joshua andIngrid will be in Austin later this month for SXSW and I can’t be there. Wah!!! Well, I’m sure I’ll eventually get a copy of the EP, one way or another.

It’s World Book Day. [via Reading in the Dark] That reminds me: I’ve read some great books in the past couple months, which I keep meaning to mention, but always seem to forget for some reason. More about those books later.

Today, March 4, is National Grammar Day. Excellent!

Like many Americans, my predecessors came from more than one country. Ireland, England, Sweden, Norway and Germany (I think(, in my case. Also like many Americans, I’m rather removed from those roots and would like to reconnect in some way. As I’ve been in the baking mood lately, I thought making dishes and desserts from those countries would be a good way to do that.

So, I started with Ireland and baked “Do Be Careful” tea cakes. OMG, they were amazingly scrumptious for something that sounded really simple on paper! I now see the reason behind the name: You really do have to be careful not to eat too much. Mmmm, top them with butter and they’re iressistible! I got rave reviews on them, so the recipe is definitely going into my permanent collection.

Next up: Something English or Swedish. I’ve got two fantastic English dessert recipes and one Swedish dessert recipe that I’m looking forward to trying out. Just need to figure out where I can get mixed peel!

Before I moved out of my old place last weekend, I baked a batch of zucchini lemon cookies, which I’d never tried in the past. Filled with lots of grated zucchini, chopped walnuts and drizzled with icing, they were fantastic. Don’t let the thought of zucchini in cookies put you off. It actually added a nice, chewy quality to the cookies. I can see myself making them a lot when zucchini is in season.

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have been crisscrossing Texas over the past week in an effort to drum up support before the March 4 primary/caucus, which may prove to be pivotal in determining who will receive the Democratic nomination for the Presidential election later this year. Sen. Clinton was in Robstown, a small town just outside Corpus Christi, laast week; and Sen. Obama held a rally Friday afternoon at the AmericanBank Center on the Corpus Christi Bayfront.

I attended the Barack Obama rally as I plan to vote for him in the primary and was really curious to hear how he came across in person. Well, he was awesome! His speech wasn’t groundbraking, though: he covered many of the same things he’s covered in past speeches. That’s ok with me, however, since those are the issues I care about the most:

• Ending the war in Iraq
• Putting a stop to the lobbyists’ clout in D.C.
• Increasing diplomacy with other countries
• Investigating and investing in alternative energy sources
• reducing the cost and improving the quality of education
• helping the economy by giving tax breaks to those who make less than$75,000 per year and increasing the minimum wage each year to keep pace with inflation
• Closing Guantanimo Bay and restoring Habeas Corpus

Sen. Obama talked about ending the divisiveness and constant bickering by those in power to finally get things accomplished, which is something I can get behind 100%. In the past two Presidential elections, I voted for third party candidates because I just wasn’t happy with the candidates from the major parties. This year, however, I’m quite happy that there’s a candidate with whom I agree and for whom I feel confident in giving my vote! It may seem like a cliche, but we are ready for a change. Here’s to hoping we can say “President Obama” in January!

To read about local reaction to Mr. Obama’s rally and view video of the speech, check out this article from the Corpus Christi Caller-Times: Obama’s pledge to end Iraq war draws huge applause.

I’ve things to write about, but my keyboard is on the fritz right now. Ugh. Should have it fixed soon, though, so posting will resume before the weekend is over, I think.

Here are my answers to last week’s Ten on Tuesday:

Ten Things to Do Instead of Watching TV
In no particular order

10. Listen to podcasts. There are podcasts out there on every subject imaginable, some from regular folks like you and me and others by mainstream media. My top favorite podcasts can be found on the sidebar of this blog and more favorites of mine can be found on the sidebar at <Random Fandom.

9. Catch up on the news. There’s lots going on in the world! Some of my favorite online news sources: NPR, BBC News and for local news, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. After I get my fill of depressing news, I check out Happy News to remind myself that lots of good things happen every day, as well.

8. Read blogs. Like podcasts, there are blogs on a myriad of subjects that offer practically unlimited reading material. Some of my favorite weblogs can be found on the sidebar.

7. Watch movies. There are some good movies in theaters now, plus tons of great movies on DVD. Speaking of which I want to catch “Waitress” and a documentary about Dr. Bronner and his soap which I think is fantastic, by the way) called “Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soapbox.” It sounds very interesting. Seriously!

6. Read a book. I’m currently reading “Magic Kingdom for Sale — Sold!,” by Terry Brooks. Need inspiration as to what to read? Check out GoodReads, a cool social networking site for book lovers.

5. Learn something new. This is definitely on my to-do list. I’ve been contemplating starting some sort of craft, but I’m not sure what sort yet. Maybe sewing, crocheting or to be uber trendy, knitting. Heh.

4. Cook and bake. There’s nothing better than making a homemade meal and goodies to share with your friends and family. Pioneer Woman Cooks has some absolutely yummy-sounding recipes that I must try.

3. Go for a walk, run, cycle, skate, etc. You’ll need the exercise if you do #4!

2. Go to a play, a local music show, a museum or other cultural event. I really need to do more of that.

1. Play games: video games, board games, card games and games that you make up on the spot.

I first heard “Can’t Get it Right Today” by Joe Purdy in a KIA Spectra commercial and couldn’t get it out of my head. It’s super catchy, just the kind of song I don’t mind repeating endlessly in my mind. I’m going to have to check out the rest of his music now. If it’s all as good as “Can’t Get it Right Today,” I’m going to be very happy!

Dennis Kucinich never had a chance of winning the Democratic nomination, unfortunately, but if he had, I would have voted for him. As it stands now, I’m hoping Barack Obama comes out on top on “Super Tuesday.”

Paolo Nutini’s “Funky Cigarette” is just the thing I need to wake me up this morning. Yeehaw, Paolo! Although I don’t indulge in the green stuff myself, I can’t help but love the song. It’s just too much fun and reminds me of how Paolo ended the show I attended in Austin last September. The live version of the song is even more awesome and splendidly energetic than the version I’ve linked to, by the way.