November 22, 2014

At the Constraints of November Café...

Tablescape

... this tablescape expresses the smallness of my perspective over the past week.

ADDED: Go Badgers.

45 comments:

Sydney said...

The jewelery and the makeup scream "fashion" to me.

chickelit said...

I see empty launch pads for beverage-fueled posts.

rhhardin said...

Doberman's tabletop today, with indestrictible toy.

Laslo Spatula said...

I like the casually left clue of "bur" written on a scrap of paper in the lower left of the photo, hiding in plain sight. She teases us, this Althouse; at times she is almost naughty that way.

khesanh0802 said...

The Sandy Hook shooting is back in the news with the final report on Adam Lanza's mental health. The report reinforces the contention that most of these unfortunate incidents are a result of untreated/ill-treated mental health problems not "easy" access to firearms.

madAsHell said...

You should remind folks of your Amazon portal.

madAsHell said...

....because it's that time of year!!

FleetUSA said...

Professor, You might appreciate several of these which are available at your Amazon portal for organizing unwieldy cords:

http://www.amazon.com/AppleCore-Cable-Organizer-Pack-Combo/dp/B00632PC4I/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1416691201&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=cord+oranizer+apple+core

Fred Drinkwater said...

"Smallness of my perspective"
Sarcasm, I hope.
The items in that image span the globe for culture, and most of recorded time for technology.
You see, but you do not observe.
You live in it, but you are not aware.

Freeman Hunt said...

Favorite places to eat in Manhattan?

campy said...

The Badger from last week no longer holds the single game rushing record. Some guy from Oklahoma broke it.

Freeman Hunt said...

I've used online review sites extensively to find places to eat, but recommendations from other people have always turned out better.

Freeman Hunt said...

Favorite places to eat near Caltech or Harvey Mudd?

In exchange, I will offer recommendations for places to eat in the highly sought after destination of Northwest Arkansas.

Freeman Hunt said...

Hugo's
Hunan Manor
Joe's
James at the Mill
Penguin Ed's
A Taste of Thai
ONYX Coffee Lab
Blu Fin or Shogun for sushi

There are more, but those come to mind immediately.

Freeman Hunt said...

Out of the way and different: Monte Ne Chicken. Sort of like going back in time and eating in Northwest Arkansas thirty years ago. Neal's Cafe, which I can't link because they have exceeded their website bandwidth, is in town and has a similar feel.

rhhardin said...

I haven't eaten out, even for coffee, in more than a decade.

You're less bored with a dog to take care of.

Saint Croix said...

In exchange, I will offer recommendations for places to eat in the highly sought after destination of Northwest Arkansas.

The best grits in the universe are at the Omelet Cafe in Savannah, Georgia. They have a big grit pot and they use milk instead of water and they cook those damn grits all day long. Amazing grits. Also the omelets are good. I used to eat there twice a week.

Best pizza I ever had was in Brooklyn, I think, although my dad thinks it was Queens. It was New York City. Hole in the wall pizza joint, they barely spoke English. I could not find it again to save my life. Really good pizza though.

Worst pizza I ever had was in Milan, Italy. That's another guy who didn't speak English. We tried to tell him pepperoni and sausage. I don't think he understood "sausage.' Or "pepperoni." I was oinking like a pig. Anyway we got an egg in the middle of our pizza.

tim in vermont said...

Can't help you near Cal Tech, but I can tell you you where you can get some excellent fried chicken in Winooski, Vermont, if you should ever find yourself nearby.

Misery Loves Company

Wilbur said...

Anyone who makes grits without a good portion of milk in it may as well make instant in a microwave.

My ex used to say she'd never order grits anywhere she couldn't look back in the kitchen and see a Miss Corrine doing the cooking.

I assume the "bur" on the paper wasn't referring to me.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Ooh, Uniball Vision rollerball, the Prof and I are pen-mates! All I can find in the stores these days are the Vision Elites, but I prefer the old Visions in micro. The Signo gels are pretty good too (the gel ink lasts a long time and dries dark) but the regular Vision with micro tip is the best overall--fast w/consistent line, dries fast enough not to smear when you're movin' quick. Thank goodness for Amazon, I keep stocked up.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Saint Croix said...Worst pizza I ever had was in Milan, Italy. That's another guy who didn't speak English. We tried to tell him pepperoni and sausage. I don't think he understood "sausage.' Or "pepperoni." I was oinking like a pig. Anyway we got an egg in the middle of our pizza.

Apparently pepperoni doesn't mean the same thing in Italian:


For those Americans who have ever had the pleasure of visiting the country of Italy: Have you ever tried toorder a pizza with “pepperoni”? What did you get on your pizza? Certainly not “pepperoni,” but “peperoni”! Peppers! In Italian, what Americans call “pepperoni” is referred to as Salami. The true meaning of the word “peperoni” was kind of lost in translation and it evolved into the American “pepperoni” that we now use to refer to the thinly sliced, dry sausage that is popular on our pizza.

http://fromtheitaliankitchen.blogspot.com/2008/06/ordering-pepperoni-pizza-in-italy.html

paminwi said...

Vezzo Pizza
Mabel's in Brooklyn - BBQ
Otto's
Maialino
Atlantic Grill

Saint Croix said...

what Americans call “pepperoni” is referred to as Salami.

Yeah! That was part of the conversation. The word "salami" definitely came up. And we were so happy that we were communicating with this waiter in Milan, Italy.

And then he came back with an egg on our pizza.

Laslo Spatula said...

My introduction into the Althouse Universe...

About a year ago I went to meet up with a friend at a bar in Seattle's University District. Very strong inexpensive drinks. When I got there he was talking and laughing with a few other people that I did not know, and I joined in.

Drinks got drank and the humor got progressively bawdier and twisted, especially this one guy I had just met; at one point he went off on a tangent about celebrity sex robots that was made only funnier by the fact that he can't really do impressions: all the women's voices sounded like a cross between Christopher Walken and the Chipmunks.

Anyway, I said something along the lines of how he should write some of this stuff down, and he then told me about a blog he commented on where most of these things started: that is how I first heard of the Althouse blog.

I have since ran into him at that bar a few times; one time we watched the students and the hipsters and the homeless walking by on the Ave and his comments consisted entirely of just how "Keitel' a passerby was (or was not, as in: "Keitel would NEVER let his woman wear those shoes" or some such).

And that is how I met Betamax3000. I am figuring he wouldn't mind me telling this story...

Laslo Spatula said...

When he is into that 'Keitel' thing he is REALLY into that Keitel thing: I'm pretty sure he knows he is not actually spiritually connected to Keitel, but it is like you are talking to a separate person that KNOWS everything there is to know about how Keitel approaches the world, and addresses it accordingly. I once tried to interject a Bobby DeNiro counterpoint: bad mistake.

chickelit said...

Laslo Spatula said...
I like the casually left clue of "bur" written on a scrap of paper in the lower left of the photo, hiding in plain sight. She teases us, this Althouse; at times she is almost naughty that way.

It's like one of Charlotte's clues spun into the web along with "Humble," "Terrific," "Some Pig," and "Radiant."

"Bur" may be an affectionate shortening of "Wilbur." Just a guess.

But seriously Laslo, has Althouse given you an adjective yet? Something like "marvelous, or "wonderful"?

David said...

Freeman:

I don’t get to NY much any more but when I do I stick to old faves that (I think) remain among the best restaurants in the world. Six are listed below, four very expensive but outstanding and reliably consistent. The two less expensive ones (still not cheap) are Balthazar and Grand Central Oyster House (which I like for lunch.) Le Bernardin is my favorite of all these, but the prices are very high. I got exposed to it in expense account days, but now go only every few years.

I don’t know much about current trendy or bargain places. Our only child living in NY left there over 2 years ago.

The good NY delis are great. Check out the reviews for better current info than I have. My wife and I used to love to march up and down the streets in Little Italy on a good day and select based on look and smell. Can’t remember the names of the places we found but they were cheap and delicious. Little Italy now has its own web site, easily found on Google.

My list of six, all based on fairly recent personal experience:

Le Bernardin—expensive and flawless. Dress up.
Grand Central Oyster Bar—Hustle bustle but good food. oysters of course and other seafood at less than sky high pricing
Peter Luger—Steakhouse supreme, no frills, great service, big check.
La Grenouille—Elegant midtown French, fresh flowers, people dress up
The River Cafe—Killer view of Manhattan across the river from Brooklyn, romantic, outstanding food.
Balthazar—Parisian bistro style and very good. Can be hard to score a table.

Sounds like this may be a college tour, so these may be too high end. Good luck and have fun.

Big Mike said...

@Freeman, there is nothing in or near NYC that is in the same tier for science and math as Cal Tech or Harvey Mudd. But if you're out in California anyway and considering private or out of state tuition consider staying an extra day or two and taking your child to UC San Diego (actually in La Jolla) and UC Santa Barbara. The latter has something called the College of Creative Studies, which features STEM (Chemistry, Math, Physics) as well as fine arts. It is a marvelous program.

When my son was a first-year at UCSB two of their professors were awarded Nobel prizes, one in physics for quantum chromodynamics and the other in economics.

chillblaine said...

Places to eat near Caltech? If you like enchiladas and margaritas, it's Mijares.

chickelit said...

@Freeman: IN-N-OUT Burger locations in Pasadena. Cheap. Family friendly.

pm317 said...


Le Bernardin..

Eric Ripert -- he used to have a nice cooking show on TV..I don't eat meat or seafood but used to watch the show (as I do others) for its creativity and artistry.

pm317 said...

And that is how I met Betamax3000.

Huh, I correctly pegged you as a betamax wannabe on another thread. Why don't you be just yourself?

Freeman Hunt said...

Thanks for all the information. We're not on a nationwide college tour; there just happen to be two required trips for other reasons close together. This has been most helpful.

Laslo Spatula said...

"Huh, I correctly pegged you as a betamax wannabe on another thread. Why don't you be just yourself?"

Can't help it if my self overlaps someone else; I am what I am said Edie. I make no pretenses to holding a comparable candle.

Laslo Spatula said...

"But seriously Laslo, has Althouse given you an adjective yet? Something like "marvelous, or "wonderful"?"

One can hope.

Laslo Spatula said...

""Bur" may be an affectionate shortening of "Wilbur." Just a guess. "

I think it is shorthand for "Burton." I bet sometimes Althouse and Meade reenact lines from "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" and giggle themselves silly.

This led to them jokingly referring each other as "Elizabeth" and "Burton".

Now "Burton" is a name of affection for Meade, and Althouse has shortened it to "bur". The scrap of paper was no doubt a folded-up love note to Meade, doubling as a reminder to pick up some item at Whole Foods.

Solved.

I am Laslo.


Laslo Spatula said...

Watching college football reminds me: they don't all have to be high-school cheerleaders. There are many sweet college cheerleaders that could appreciate a good spanking, also.

tim in vermont said...

There are many sweet college cheerleaders that could appreciate a good spanking, also.

Not the same.

tim in vermont said...

Freeman Hunt, You know a fun restaurant in Manhattan, if you are taking a daughter anyway, The Russian Tea Room. Try the borcht, really.

David's comment got me thinking, another great place to eat is the restaurant in the MoMA. Not to mention that you get a great museum thrown in the mix.

We also always like to go to Rosa Mexicana.


RecChief said...

Since Crack is back and as whack as ever, here is a circle for him to square:

Black Activists Speak Out Against Obama Amnesty Agenda

Last time I looked, Obama was a black man, who just threw black america under a bus. Go ahead Crack, tell us how it's all whitey's fault.

RecChief said...

Freeman Hunt said...
Favorite places to eat in Manhattan?


If you are going to be on the lower East Side, I still love Katz's Delicatessen. YOu can't beat their Pastrami.

2nd Ave Deli is a close....second.

Bad Lieutenant said...

Big Mike said...
@Freeman, there is nothing in or near NYC that is in the same tier for science and math as Cal Tech or Harvey Mudd.


Columbia, Cornell, NYU, Stevens Institute of Technology, a couple of the SUNYs are passable. If you countenance the trip to Cornell, Princeton is about as far. Yale is right up at the other end of the commuter rail in New Haven. I believe we can get a couple of atoms split out here without your help, but thanks.

Katz's by all means...sadly the Stage Deli closed and I liked them better than Carnegie. Pastrami Queen up on Lex. Sadly, fewer people eat this food now...

Ann Althouse said...

Clue to the meaning of "bur": I wrote that as part of the preparation for this post.

virgil xenophon said...

@Freeman Hunt/

Try a family/neighborhood Italian restaurant on E. 62nd Street in NYC named Isle Vagabondo. It's a basement, below-street-level deal with--wait for it--an active bocci-ball court inside! Great atmosphere, good food and moderate prices (for NYC, lol)

Or for late-nite noshing try Cafe Noir Has a limited French/Moroccan-style Tapas menu. Very uneven experience, tho. Some love it, some hate it. GREAT late-nite atmosphere! Read ALL the reviews on yelp to get a taste. (One thing we're ALL in agreement, tho, is that they some how manage to get all the idiot bartenders in the world assembled in one place, lo, one really does often have to take matters in one's own hand!)

(Stand-by, Freeman, I find it HAS MOVED from its South Village local to Tribeca and larger digs in 2013, so can't vouch for new atmosphere, etc.)

Big Mike said...

@Unknown, I don't know anything about Stevens, but I think I would have heard of it if it was in the same tier as Cal Tech or Harvey Mudd. Cornell is nowhere near Manhattan and considering that the current President is a Columbia graduate, it's clear that Columbia doesn't turn out people with very good critical reasoning skills.