I said, “WE CAN REBUILD HIM!”

Neil’s Blog Post

I just saw a commercial for The Lee Majors Bionic Rechargeable Hearing Aid.

I feel like part of my world just crumbled and died.

I Lost a Bet Last Night…

Laura’s Blog Entry

Here you go; a warm up for the next podcast. We just might be talking about Martin Gore. It’s a distinct possibility.

I ask you, what’s not to love about this man?

PS – If you answer that question I will have to kill you.

Quesadillas

Laura’s Blog Entry

And it is with this recipe that I step off the vegetarian train and directly into the path of an oncoming slab of bacon. In all fairness, Neil formulated this recipe after having them at Funky’s Café, a now defunct (deFUNKT, get it?) Cincinnati Restaurant.

Go ahead and make your version vegetarian. See if I care. Hey roasted red peppers would be delicious in it, wouldn’t it?

Quesadillas

2 flour tortillas – large size
2/3 cup shredded cheese – we like a 5 cheese Mexican blend
1/4 cup shredded cooked chicken
1-2 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 Tablespoon diced green chilies (the kind from the can)
Taco sauce and/or salsa
Butter

Heat a skillet to medium high heat. The skillet must be big enough to accommodate your tortillas. Duh.

Lightly butter one side of one of the tortillas. When the pan is hot, assemble the ingredients as follows:

Place the tortilla butter side down into the pan. Quickly layer on the cheese, chicken, bacon, and green chilies. Evenly dollop on some taco sauce – as much as you would like. You can also use salsa, but we prefer the taco sauce.

Butter the other tortilla and place butter side up on top of the other ingredients. At this point it should be ready to flip, but lift it a bit with a spatula and check the bottom. If it is getting lightly brown, you’re set.

Flip the whole thing over. Good luck on that. We flip it onto a plate and then slide back into the pan because we are wimps.

Give it a minute or so to brown on the other side. Transfer to a plate and cut into wedges with a pizza cutter. Top with additional taco sauce or salsa.

Note: We divide up the rest of the can of green chilies into small plastic containers and freeze it. That way we are all ready to go with the perfect amount for the next batch. You’re welcome.

Boo Hoo, Wish I Could Go To This

Laura’s Blog Entry

If you are in London, go party with Cassette Electrik on Friday. And tell ‘em The Smiths sent you.

Cabbage Patch

Laura’s Blog Entry

It’s a vegetable-palooza around here. Our CSA has kept me on my toes with menu planning. I’ve also had to get creative and do a little preserving because the thee of us can’t even eat an entire 1/4 co-op share some weeks. So I am prepping some of the food (like parboiling green beans and sautéing some of the leeks) and freezing them in single meal-size containers for later use. My freezer is small, so we’ll see how long I can do this.

We worried that the CSA wouldn’t be the most economical enterprise, but we were doing it for the fresh, organic, locally grown produce. Well our grocery bill has been quite low compared to what they used to be. The co-op ends up being about $25 a week. Add that to our weekly grocery trip and we are still a good $20 less each week.

Last week we got some amazingly beautiful red cabbage.

It’s not usually what you’d use for cole slaw, because the color goes a bit weird, but that’s what I felt like making, so I did. I used my friend Danyne’s most amazing recipe. I can usually take or leave cole slaw. Some is good, some bad. This stuff is very yummy. The dressing is fantastic. Maybe because it has loads of sugar in it. Oh well. All the better to make the cabbage go down, right?

I’m pretty sure it is a copyrighted recipe, so I won’t publish it here, but if you’d like a copy let me know and I will email it to you.

I also made some wonderful salsa with some yellow Roma tomatoes. I use the recipe called “Fresh Tomato Salsa” from The New Basic Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Shelia Lukins. It has to sit for awhile before eating. Don’t try it right away because the flavors need to blend. It was gross yesterday when I mixed it up, but by dinnertime it was perfect.

It calls for fresh oregano, which I used for the first time yesterday. Usually I use 1 teaspoon of dried instead because I’ve never had any fresh. I grew some this year so I gave it a go. I think I still prefer the dried in this recipe. So there. I also do half the amount of scallions they call for. And maybe an extra squeeze of lime. Otherwise it is by the book.

I served it on quesadillas. I’ll post a recipe for those next. Really good.

We have found that with so many vegetables to eat up, we have decreased our meat intake even more. (And Andrew says – hooray!) I don’t plan to ever give it up completely, but I like to think of it as a side dish instead of an entrée.

Tonight is the last of our dinners provided by our friends. Missy brought homemade spaghetti sauce that we popped in the freezer. I can’t wait to try it. And the Trader Joe’s Garlic Parmesan Flatbread she brought, too. She said to top it with more Parmesan and bake. Yes, I think that I will.

Dinner, why are you still 6 hours away?

You Are Cordially Invited…

Laura’s Blog Entry

Last week our 18th wedding anniversary passed with nary a notice. We were all wiped out and not feeling the least bit festive. Well, as we have been recovering our strength (OK my strength) I noticed a fun local event coming up.

Neil and I love to go dancing at a club downtown called The Dock on Thursday nights. They have a great Goth/Industrial night called Darkotica. Well on Saturday, September 6 they are having an event. Here’s what going on:

Coming up on Saturday, September 6th it’s all out war as DJ Mike Dangers pits his will against DJ Roundboy in a winner gets beer Warehouse VS Vertigo battle royal. Come out and hear your favorite 80’s, New Wave, Post Punk, Industrial, Glam, Goth music as these two go toe to toe.

Vertigo and Warehouse were clubs that were big back when Neil and I first met and we were in our clubbing heyday. So where better to celebrate our anniversary this year?

So if you are local, please consider hanging out with us on September 6. I will tell you that it will be a late night – things don’t usually get going until nearly midnight. But the venue is fun, the music great, and the people are super nice. Take a disco nap like I will and you’ll be up for the challenge. Here’s hopin’ the babysitter doesn’t fall through…

Drop us a line at smithsoccasional@gmail.com if you think you might go. Gothy boot optional.

Illustration above by Siphen at Deviantart
http://siphen.deviantart.com/art/Goth-girl-35039962

Chickens? Really?

Laura’s Blog Entry

This has got to be the most surreal musical performance I have ever seen.

Dave’s a trooper, as usual. Martin and Fletch couldn’t look more uncomfortable. But Alan seems to work well with poultry.

How To Lose the First Two Weeks of August

Laura’s Blog Entry

This should also be called:
Blogs I Read : Part 2

OK, so I’m really not going to talk that much about being sick. Mainly because I am sick to death of thinking about it. Let me just say I am feeling much, much better. Today has been the best day so far. Having to lie down every few hours was really cramping my style.

But before I move forward I did want to thank everyone. Thanks to all the people who brought us a week’s worth of delicious meals. Thanks to those who who helped watch Mari while we were dealing with drama. A special thanks to Andrew P. who mowed our lawn. I’m pretty sure he is some kind of angel who rides up on a motorcycle, mows your lawn and then borrows your Worx GT trimmer afterwards. Also thanks to everyone who sent me e-mails and Twitters and Facebook messages. It cheered me up so much to know you are all out there and you give a crap. Now I’m moving on before I get misty-eyed again.

Our activities are still kind of light, which makes for sad blog fare. Plus I have a podcast to write in the next few days. I didn’t think this one was going to happen, but last night I got a renewed sense of enthusiasm. Plus we got permission to play the band Client, so I am anxious to do so before they change their minds!

To keep you entertained, I did want to continue with a topic I stared a while ago: Blogs I Read. I started with food blogs. Well before I get too long of a list going, I want to mention my most favorite blog. The mother of all blogs, in my opinion.

It’s’ called Dooce and it’s written by Heather B. Armstrong, my hero. Heather is a graphic artist, writer, photographer, mother, and wife who is awesomely amazing, inspiring and super-real. She is everything I aspire to be as a blogger and as a person: honest and funny and genuine. She talks about and photographs everything in the world: her family, friends, food, design, children and dogs.

Oh the brilliant photos of her dogs!

In wigs. And shoes. And fairy wings.

Heather got into blogging quite early in the game and her archives go back until 2001. When she started she was a single woman and a web designer in LA, and now she’s married, has a daughter, lives in Utah and works as a blogger full-time. She was one of the first bloggers to lose her job because she wrote about her workplace on the interwebs. She’s kinda reckless like that. Which is the total opposite of me.

Which is why I love her. From afar. Through the tubes.

Where’s Laura?

Neil’s Blog Entry

Acute Pericarditis. Google it. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

As some of you may have heard, Laura’s been rather sick the last couple of days. We’ve all been getting over a particularly nasty cold. Well, it hit Laura quite a bit harder than the rest of us. After waking up at 2AM with chest pains, we found ourselves calling 911 a few nights ago. The EMTs checked her over and found nothing wrong, but by the following morning the chest pains were still bothering her. So it was off to the ER. Ain’t nothin’ like a big bag of fluids to make you feel so good!

Anyway, after some trial and error, Laura was diagnosed with Acute Pericarditis. For those of you who were too lazy to Google it when I said to earlier, it is basically a inflammation on the outer lining of the heart. Sounds scary as hell, I know, but it’s not life threatening and she should be totally back to normal in about a week or two.

We’re home now and she’s feeling much better. She actually ate something today. I’ve been running on adrenalin for the last two days so I think I’m going to collapse any minute now that she’s feeling better.

Our friends have graciously been watching Mari for the last couple of days. The guys at work have been great, letting me work from home all week and bringing us dinners. Not to mention that Laura’s now got some great narcotics and such to keep her happy and loopy and pain free.

Thanks everyone for your well wishes and prayers. They were very much appreciated.

Still with no pithy catchphrase,

Neil

UPDATE: 8/9/08
We had one more trip to the ER on Saturday because Laura was having more chest pains. They did some additional tests and now we’re home again. She’s very weak and kinda light-headed, but seems to doing okay with all the medicines.

SOP 020 – Circuitry Pansy: Mistress of the Internets

Download this episode

Show Notes
Hold on to your funky selves because we’ve got some hot tunes for your dancing pleasure. We get all gothy with Mary Shelley, Laura delves into her excessive summer reality TV habit and discusses Depeche Mode in the media. Neil teaches “Marketing 101,” Mari is back with a new song and we explore our own personal lefty zones. Ice cream sandwiches, facial hair trauma and what makes Battlestar Galactica the best show on television – the bottom line: Now this is fun!

You’ll hear techno-clubby tunes from Venus Hum and Jack Alberson. Plus a special tribute to Katie Reider.

Music Guide
“Spider-Man”
Artist: Neil Smith
Album: Sterile
http://neilsmithmusic.com (free download of this song)

“Yes and No”
Artist: Venus Hum
Album: Colors in the Wheel
http://www.venushum.com
http://www.myspace.com/venushum
iTunes

“The Song With No Name”
Artist: Mari Smith

“Waist Not Want”
Artist: Jack Alberson
Album: Waist Not Want EP
www.myspace.com/jackalbersonmusic
Amiestreet.com

“Trusted Eyes”
Artist: Katie Reider
Album: Wonder
iTunes
A live version of this song appears on the album Katie’s Voice.
Katie’s Voice is available at www.500Kin365.org for one dollar. 100% of the proceeds go to support her family and to help pay for the medical costs incurred during Katie’s illness.

Misc. Goodies and Links
Want us to love you forever? Write us a review on iTunes. You will? You’re the best. Really!

Do you Twitter? Swell! Follow us at http://twitter.com/smithsocc.

Depeche Mode Ticket Stub Group on Flickr
Now you can add your own Flickr photos of your stubs!

Venus Hum / Tony Miracle song construction demo

Martin Gore at The Hiro Ballroom

Other videos
http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=TheSchemer

My favorite photos of the night…
http://www.nickydigital.com/index.php?/gallery/photo/105247/
http://www.nickydigital.com/index.php?/gallery/photo/105245/

View photos here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/OriginalScheme/MartinGoreAtHiroBallroom

And here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13641063@N02/sets/72157606368611167/

LA DM Convention

Gareth Jones Blog

Ice Cream Sandwiches
1 package of Pillsbury Moist Supreme Chocolate Cake Mix
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs
1 pint ice cream, softened

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Stir together cake mix, oil and eggs with spoon until well blended. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 3 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets to make 22 cookies. Push down slightly on top of cookie to make a flatter top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes or until puffed and almost no indentation remains when touched. Cool one minute; remove from cookie sheet and cook completely on a wire rack.

Sandwich your favorite ice cream flavor between two cookies. They are nice a soft if eaten immediately. If you enjoy a frozen cookie, make all the sandwiches and wrap in plastic wrap and freeze before serving.

Makes 22 sandwiches.

Movies Discussed in This Episode
Gothic

Someone Like You

Gallery of Guys Neil Finds Attractive

The obligatory Depeche Mode Link
http://www.depechemode.com