Friday Favorite #2: The Real Tuesday Weld

I don't even know how to begin to describe the beauty and intelligence of the music of The Real Tuesday Weld...a.k.a. Stephen Coates.




I first discovered The Real Tuesday Weld on the radio while driving home from Los Angeles well over a year ago. After looking up the song I heard on the radio I immediately purchased the album I, Lucifer to hear more. I was not disappointed...the whole album was fantastic.



I loved every single song and was overjoyed to find that it was the soundtrack to a book of the same name by Glen Duncan. I, Lucifer is written in the voice of...well...the devil. It is the story Lucifer when he is given another chance at salvation by taking on the form of a human. I won't say anything more about the book because you really need to read it for yourself.



Anyway, The Real Tuesday Weld is on my favorites list for so many reasons. Their music is a mixture of haunting melodies and whispery vocals. It is stylish and easy to listen to in almost any situation. (I listened to them all the time at my last job). I also enjoy the accompanying videos that I have seen on their website. The most recent album is called, Return of The Clerkenwell Kid which is also great. Please be sure to check it out.



For more information see the links below


The Real Tuesday Weld
The Clerkenwell Kid
All Songs Considered (NPR)
Six Degrees Records
BBC Review of I, Lucifer

Laci Peterson book

Well...I hated the fact that Amber Frey wrote a book about the Scott Peterson trial but I had NO idea that 8 other books were published about the case. Sheesh.

Anyway, I just read this article in The Fresno Bee about Laci's mom, Sharon's new book, For Laci.



I don't mean to sound callous but...when is this going to stop? I DO believe that Sharon Rocha has more of a right to tell her story than Amber Frey did...and I could never imagine the amount of sorrow and heartbreak she has gone through. But...a book? And a book tour? I think it's a little much.

In a related article, Scott Peterson's family has hired appeals lawyers to overturn his conviction. Fat chance!

Okay...now that I have gotten that off my chest...I vow not to write on this subject again.

Vincent Schiavelli dead at 57

I know that this is kind of old news in the world of the internet but I must report that Vincent Schiavelli died on December 26.


He was a brilliant character actor whose presence has grace many films. My personal favorite was Amadeus...he played Salieri's valet in the opening scene. (Amadeus has been one of my favorite films since I was seven...really).

Anyway, the film world will forever miss him.

Ring in a New Year

As we all know, the new year is fast approaching...which means it is a great time for a new day planner. I have a hard time sticking to a planner but this year I think I found the perfect one for me:



I am a HUGE procrastinator so perhaps this will help me. This week is all about avoiding new year's resolutions which I'm already pretty good at. What is the point of vowing to do things on one day of the year? I think I need weekly resolutions...or daily resolutions along the lines of, "Today I will not drink soda."

What are your thoughts on this? Are new year's resolutions kind of silly or what?

Tragedy?

Today I was told by a woman (who had just asked me for change) that a local downtown drunk was run over by a train this morning. I really wonder if this is true because I haven't seen anything about it on the local news websites. If anyone has any information let me know.

If it is true, I think it's sad that he was known to most people downtown as "the drunk guy" and I'm afraid that part of the reason why nobody has reported on it yet is because of that. If I find out anything more I'll post an update.

UPDATE: The Fresno Bee's website did, in fact, post a brief article about this morning's accident.

Cabbage Soup Recipe

This is a recipe that i made up a couple months ago. It's a pretty basic soup but i really love it and so does the boyfriend.

Bria's Cabbage Soup

Ingredients
10 to 12 Cups of Chicken or beef broth (or substitute with veggie broth)
4 Tbsp. Butter
4 Cloves of Garlic, minced
Medium onion, diced
3 Carrots, sliced
4 Celery stalks, sliced
1/2 Head of cabbage (yum), shredded
1 1/2 Cups of Mushrooms, sliced

Suggested seasonings (all to taste)
Salt
Pepper
Dill
Thyme

Cooking instrutions
In a large pot, saute the onions and garlic in butter over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add the Cabbage and continue sauteing until cabbage is slightly softened. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add the rest of the vegetables and seasonings, reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes to insure that the veggies are soft and the broth has absorbed the flavors.

The best thing about this recipe is that it is easy to motify. Variations can include potatoes, corn, tomatoes, or whatever else you want. The most important thing is to make sure you have enough broth. This soup is especially good the next day too. try it out and tell me what you think.

Friday Favorite #1: Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!

introducing a new feature here on bellyacher....Friday Favorties! each friday i will post about something that i love and would like to share with others.

this friday it's all about Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!, the NPR news quiz. i have been listening for about two years now and it has become a weekly ritual. if you live in fresno you can hear Wait Wait on KVPR 89.3 every saturday at 11am. if you are not from fresno or you are not able to listen on saturdays, you can always listen to the show later online at the website.



Why is Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! one of my favorites? well...it's damn funny. the show is hosted by Peter Sagal, and Carl Kasell is the official judge and scorekeeper. each week they quiz three of several regular panelists (including Mo Rocca, from The Daily Show) and people who call the show. the quizzes are on news items from the week...many of which are canidates for yahoo's "odd news" section. the result is usually hilarious. also, there is always a "not my job" guest (a celebrity, i suppose) who is quizzed on something that has nothing to with their profession or expertise. the guests that have been most memorable to me include, Bill Nye the Science Guy and Armistead Maupin (one of my favorite authors).

So, if you're not busy tommorow morning please listen to the show and tell me what you think. if you can't wait that long, listen to last week's show right now at the link above.

(warning: i will be adding several "new features" to bellyacher so be prepared)

Cutest greeting ever

I am strangely a member of the PETA street team....because I am really anti-fur. I feel like a hypocrite though because I do enjoy eating meat....oh well. Anyway, today they sent me a link to this greeting card to send to friends and family. Enjoy

Get Fresh

no plans on christmas eve? are your friends all out of town? don't worry because you can always go to GET FRESH. there will be plenty of christmas cheer to go around.



(check out the fur poll below)

new gem from jibjab

if you've never seen a parody by JibJab you've been missing out. their newest cartoon is called "2-0-5" and it is truly fantastic.
be sure to also check out the vault for some older cartoons including, "big box mart", "it's good to be in dc", and "this land." funny stuff i tell you!!

kitty christmas

yesterday i visited the california feline foundation to pet the cats and bring pictures of my cat, macka (pronounced mach-ka...it's serbian for kitty), that i adopted a couple of months ago. there are so many cats that are in need of a good home...so if you are feeling lonely this season, adopt a cat!! the cost is $65 and they come spayed/neutered and have all their shots.

this is macka:



-give a cat a loving home-

ack!!

so i applied for google adsense and was suprisingly accepted. the only problem is that my last post is generating ads for items that i don't even want. sooo....i need to write something new and hope for the best. here goes:

i got two new jobs...one at a boutique in the tower district and i also work for local artist, joanne margosian. joanne is wonderful so i look forward to helping her out. two jobs are a big change for me being that i'm used to working full time for one employer...but this will be fun. please check out joanne's website or email me for more information.