a list i made in 2007 of things i want to do before i die and what i have crossed off the list so far

places to visit

• macchu picchu
• vietnam
• laos
• china
• japan
• argentina
• nicaragua
• istanbul
• cuba
• trans-siberian railway
• lebanon
• eastern europe - where?
• africa
• morocco
• victoria falls
• south africa
• other - where?
• alaska
• seattle
• portland
• russia - esp. st. petersburg
• mexico
• oaxaca
• san cristobal (and all chiapas)
• yucatan
• d.f.
• ecuador
• new zealand
• india
• nepal
• los angeles
• nebraska [i have no clue why this is on here because i went to nebraska during a road trip in 2002 and didn't think it was anything that exciting]
• montreal
• vancouver
• brazil
• new orleans
• deep south - rural
• barcelona
• pretty much all of spain i haven't already been to
• cinque terre
• sicily

things to do in/near cincinnati

• rafting/tubing
• canoeing
• yellow springs
• loveland castle
• red river gorge
• mammoth caves
• louisville
• nashville
• gypsy hut
• all museums
• skiing in west virginia
• the dock [why did i want to go here?  this just seems loud and exhausting and terrifying.  i am thinking i can probably cross this off since i have been to masque in dayton and probably got pretty much the same experience there]
• bourbon trail

places to eat in cincinnati

• song long
• riverside
• ando
• la mexicana
• montgomery inn
• boca
• pigall's
• jeff ruby's [i went to the waterfront and that might not be what i meant here but i'm crossing it off anyway]
• nada
• el coyote
• knotty pine on the bayou
• bella's italian oven
• gilsey's [i have no clue what this even is]
• chaat places [what chaat places are there in cincinnati?  maybe i accidentally transferred this from my "places to eat in new york" list]
• seny
• thai cafe
• boi na braza
• nicola's
• lavomatic
• china gourmet
• chung ching
• dilly deli
• amma's kitchen
• emanu
• gordo's
• baltic restaurant
• camp washington chili
• what's for dinner?
• the phoenix
• ollie's trolley
• schoolhouse restaurant
• la petite pierre
• the hitching post
• udipi cafe
• miyoshi

other

• learn another language at least conversationally (arabic?  mandarin?) [i don't speak any languages now other than the ones i already knew back when i wrote this list, but i did try to take a conversational japanese class through communiversity in like 2008 and it was really hard and boring and i quit going but i am crossing this off because i think that is the closest i am going to get to accomplishing this goal]
• volunteer regularly somewhere
• hike at least part of:
• pacific crest trail
• appalachian trail
• grandes randonnies - france
• take classes:
• wine tasting
• cooking
• pottery
• relearn to play the oboe [i have made several half assed attempts to do this and have flaked out every time]
• learn sign language
• learn belly dancing [i have no idea why this is on the list either because i took a belly dancing class in law school and failed miserably]
• fall in love (is this possible?) [reading this now at age 31 i am kind of worried that the answer to this question might be no]
• have a patio or balcony [this was my #1 requirement for the place i am about to move into]
• live for 1+ years near:
• mountains
• ocean
• have a garden [i planted tomatoes in my backyard a couple of years ago and i accidentally put them in the shade and i think i got like 5 sad little tomato babies total out of 6 large heirloom plants but i am still crossing this off the list anyway]
• get a dog (and don't lose or kill it)
• if i have kids, adopt at least one [the motive here was fear of the pain and physical trauma of childbirth, not anything altruistic]
• learn to play tennis [i have no clue why i cared about playing tennis.  i should have put running on this list, then i could cross off a bunch of shit]
• see msu play in the ncaa tournament
• learn to play chess
• go on a safari
• go scuba diving
• learn to like mushrooms (if possible)
• milk a cow (or other milkable animal) [why is this on this list???]
• go to a white sox game
• own a food processor [i wonder if i can double count this since i actually own 2 now.  maybe i can use my second food processor to count for the cow milking]
• go waterskiing
• go normal skiing somewhere cool (colorado, vermont, switzerland, etc.) and do not die in the process
• learn to drive a stick for real this time
• have a rollerskating party [this sounds like torture now]

cooking

• sitty foods:
• kibby
• cabbage rolls
• grape leaves
• baklava
• cold brewed coffee
• sushi
• bake bread
• new york times macaroni and cheese
• fried chicken
• nonna's blueberry pie
• make my own curry powder

i haven't looked at or edited this list since i wrote it 5 years ago.  it's pretty unlikely that i will get to many of these places on what now appears to be a permanent salary of $46k/year and that i will be doing much hiking or skiing or dancing or rollerskating with what now appears to be a permanently gimpy right leg.  i guess i need to focus on the eating.

so february 29 was confession day on columbus craigslist rants and raves... please don't ask me how i know this

My Confession

Date: 2012-02-29, 4:24PM EST
Reply to: swvrh-2877704948@pers.craigslist.org

I had to put my dog to sleep a little over a month ago. He was over 16 years old and stopped eating and had developed a wicked cough.

When I took him to the vet, during the final exam they had noticed that his rear end had some feces stuck in the hair. I now wonder if he was really sick enough to be put down, or he wasnt eating because he couldnt go to the bathroom....therefore wasnt feeling good enough to eat.

I havent told my family that he might not have needed to be put down and I feel really bad that I didnt think of it soon enough to possibly save his life.

A confession. (CbusToday )

Date: 2012-02-29, 2:47PM EST
Reply to: hsbfk-2877510218@pers.craigslist.org

Iam 35 yrs old and I still sleep with Cookie Monster,Do guys do that?My girlfriend makes fun of me.should I dump her?

Confession

Date: 2012-02-29, 2:03PM EST
Reply to: dgffm-2877416605@pers.craigslist.org

When I am out at the store or the mall, I check out women. I find women to be extremely sexy, however I only want to have sex with another guy. I have no interest in eating pussy, but I really like to suck cock. I have been married for 17 years and have 2 kids.

I think I am gay.

My Secret Confession (Groveport)

Date: 2012-02-29, 11:50AM EST
Reply to: dzrwp-2877147228@pers.craigslist.org

In summertime when I have to piss I pull my dick out the bottom of my shorts rather then pulling down my zipper.

#iconfess#

Date: 2012-02-29, 11:47AM EST
Reply to: kbrf8-2877142131@pers.craigslist.org

i am naked on the internet if you know where to look.

My confession,I was a bad boy!

Date: 2012-02-29, 11:18AM EST
Reply to: mnsct-2877080467@pers.craigslist.org

This hot chic I started seeing,she smelled down THERE!! so I slipped a bottle of douch in her purse,with the word(HINT)written on the bottle.I completely ignored her.

true confession (columbus)

Date: 2012-02-29, 7:56AM EST
Reply to: g3jrp-2876790633@pers.craigslist.org

True confession.
I was having sex with a female worker on the floor of the office where we worked. My dick accidently came out and went in her asshole. She didnt want me to stop. Since then I loved given anal sex.
I like giving anal sex to skinny women.

words or phrases that people say a lot that i totally do not know the real meaning of, and what i think they mean

fracking: all i know is that this is something bad that has to do with the environment, and it sounds like "fricking."  so i like to imagine in my head that there is this group of super uptight people who refuse to say "fucking" and also refuse to say "fricking" who are using this word to still get their profanity giggles in.

zumba: for the longest time i got this confused with roomba, that vacuum thing that goes around your house by itself.  now i know that it is some sort of a thing that people do at the gym, usually women or gay men, but is not spinning or pilates.

skrillex: i think this has something to do with music, but probably not any kind of music i want to listen to.

it is what it is: seriously, what the hell does this mean?

charterites: this is some sort of a political party that i think is totally non-influential and maybe is only an ohio thing, but maybe it also has some religious component.

the hunger games: i have heard that this is some kind of a book trilogy about children fighting and killing (and eating?) each other, which parents love, but i find that impossible to believe so it has to be something else.

watergate: i have tried for years to figure out what this was and eventually i just gave up.  all i know is that it has something to do with a hotel room and nixon and someone who goes by "deep throat" for totally non-porn related reasons.

ryan gosling: some guy who has some type of an internet meme that i don't understand, but i don't know why he is popular.

internet meme: a thing where people take the same picture and write different words on it and they all get why it is funny and i don't.

douchebag: i get what this means when applied to a person, but practically, what the hell is a douchebag? is there some kind of a special bag for douches that is like flying around out there in society somewhere?  do you put the douche inside the bag?  is the bag used for douche disposal?  does this simply mean a whole bag full of douches?  i'm confused.

zeitgeist: literally i have no clue what this word means at all.

ponzi scheme: i think this is a pyramid scheme that is illegal for some reason.

santorum: ok i know what this is, but what i don't get is why you would name your child after it.

the best cincinnati fish fries

i started a fish fry quest 3 years ago and i have been addicted ever since.  cheap, tasty food + cheap beer + pretty much the best people watching ever... that is like my idea of heaven.  here are the best fish fries.  you can thank me in cash... or fish.

Church: Mary Queen of Heaven, 1150 Donaldson Rd., Erlanger, KY 41018
Beer: yes
Why you should go: the cook is the chef from Izzy’s and the food is delicious and there is every sauce imaginable and pickles and there are a shit ton of huge TVs and projectors so you can watch March Madness
Menu: http://www.mqhparish.com/Fish%20Fry/2012%20Fish%20Fry%20Menu%20for%20Web.pdf

Church: St. Paul, 7301 Dixie Highway, Florence, KY 41042
Beer: yes
Why you should go: the chef teaches at Midwest Culinary Institute and they have amazing specials... on March 2 it is whole lobster
Menu: http://www.saint-paul-school.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/2-16-12-FISH-FRY-MENU.pdf

Church: St. James White Oak, 3565 Hubble Road, Cincinnati, OH 45247
Beer: yes
Why you should go: the fish is delicious and they have amazing salted rye
Menu: http://www.stjamesfishfry.org/St._James_Fish_Fry/Home_Page.html

Non-church: American Legion Post 484, 1837 Sutton Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45237 (Mt. Washington)
Beer: yes
Why you should go: the atmosphere really more than anything...
Menu: http://www.legion484.org/Bingo.html

fish fries i haven't tried but have heard are good:

• St. Lawrence: the place in Price Hill with the bakery which is supposed to have really good breaded shrimp
• St. Teresa of Avila: also Price Hill and rumored to have good fish
• St. Joseph Academy in Walton, KY: kind of far but rumored to have the absolute best hand dipped fish
• Immaculate Heart of Mary in Burlington, KY: this is a tip from julie of wine me dine me
• Hartzell United Methodist: all you can eat for $9 in Blue Ash

my last 25 non work related google searches

musty towels

can you have a uti and not know it

crohn's disease

mardi gras cincinnati

hawaiian food

zola

ramit sethi networking

osteopathic medicine

bo ssam

facebook cell phone has a name

mental illness

cara cara oranges

sugarlaws

nku community education

el secreto de tus ojos rotten

do not call list complaint

suspect someone of having borderline

suspect someone of having bipolar

what to do if you suspect someone has borderline

borderline vs. bipolar

send flowers

dojo new york

silent treatment

new york times blog policy

highland coffee house

al amir greek salad with grilled chicken

i know i know i just wrote a post about how i wasn't going to write about restaurants anymore and here i am writing about a restaurant.  but if you are eating lunch downtown and you are not eating the greek salad with grilled chicken at al amir, you are doing something wrong.  this is definitely my favorite salad to be eaten for lunch downtown and it is only $6.

look at all that deliciousness.  you get lots of fresh greek salad type veggies in a just-made greek dressing with lots of herbs, yummy freshly grilled (not from a freezer) chicken with a cumin rub, and then they also throw in the tzatziki just in case you are not 100% sold.

i had a gyro there once and it was pretty good, and i have heard the falafel is good, but ever since i found this salad i never order anything else.  the ambience is nothing special but the food is delicious and cheap and service is good so what else do you need?

on writing in general

i got some new cookbooks last week that i am pretty excited about. i have already skimmed ad hoc at home and momofuku and gotten lots of ideas about things i want to cook. this weekend i was inspired by lots of black bananas in my freezer to make mark bittman's banana nut muffins, which were good but i think maybe i left them in the oven a minute or two too long, and by some almost withering grapes and about to turn broccoli to make a variation on this recipe for roasted broccoli/grapes/asparagus and quinoa salad in which i omitted the asparagus and arugula and substituted couscous for the quinoa.  it was tasty.

what i am spending my time reading

i'm not that inspired to write about restaurants anymore.  i think i've said before that i feel like i have said all i have to say about food in cincinnati.  i know i have said before that i am sick of being a food blog in a sea of cincinnati food blogs with (mostly) no real commitment to quality writing and with (mostly) a cutthroat desire to just rate as many places as possible for... i don't even know what purpose. there are exceptions.  just not that many.

i'm not even that inspired to eat at restaurants to be honest.  i do get excited about new places or really good old standbys or hidden gems that i discover.  but i feel like i pretty much know the lay of the land as far as cincinnati restaurant dining goes, and as lori pointed out a few months ago, it's just not that exciting or dynamic (other than hopefully a new place that may or may not be arriving on the scene this summer which i have been sworn to secrecy from talking about on this blog... oops).  plus i don't have a lot of money and don't want to spend my limited eating budget on eating out unless it's either really good or has good bang for the buck.

i do still feel the urge to write, and to be truly satisfying for me, my writing needs an audience.  i popped back up again in your google readers recently because i was needing to get my public writing fix... but as you have seen, there hasn't been much food and there has been a whole hell of a lot of rage, some of it probably misdirected.  the original intent of this blog wasn't just to spew hate, although it's not like i can pretend that wasn't part of it.  it was to write about food.  and i don't think i want to write about food that much anymore.

i'm lazy though and as any blogger knows (especially me with my boring, short lived, and totally unnoticed debt and advice blogs), your audience won't follow you somewhere else.  you're going to lose almost everyone if you go someotherrandomassortmentofletters.blogspot.com.  and i like my readers and my audience (well, some of them anyway. the anonymous assholes and creepy stalkers can, all together now, go fuck themselves).  or at least, i like that you are interested in what i have to say.

when i began writing this blog, and for a long time after that, i felt that i needed at least some level of anonymity.  i've had more than my share of internet and real life stalkers and was scared that putting myself out there on the internet would only attract more.  i'm older now and have developed a more relaxed approach because i have realized over time that the people i've had to tell to go fuck themselves in various situations because something i said or did made them uncomfortable are people that truly, i was better off without.  i also have this desire for authenticity and ownership of my self-expression that i didn't have in the past.  i want to be myself and say what i want and express my experience and put my name on it.

this is all kind of vague and i'm probably not doing the best job of saying what i mean.  what i mean is, i want to say new things on this blog that may or may not be about food, and i don't want to be constrained by my past format to say them with some type of (probably forced and cheesy) food metaphor or allegory, and i also think i want to go deeper in expressing myself and my personal experiences than i have before.

take, for example, this post.  i wrote it knowing that i was probably going to piss off my family.  but i wrote it anyway because i felt so strongly the need to express, through the "i hate shitty gifts" mechanism, the experience that many people have of feeling miserable at the holidays.  there are enough people putting love/hope/joy stuff out there about christmas; i repeatedly experience the last week and a half of the year as being a time when i feel overwhelmingly lonely, isolated, and depressed, and i'm not alone.  i wanted to put my anger out there so that maybe somebody reading it would feel relief and having someone else express what they were feeling and maybe not feel quite so alone.

the holidays are for me a lonely, miserable time and the gift giving often echoes for me how little the members of my family truly know or understand each other, the people who we are choosing to spend our holidays with.  as with a lot of my emotional experiences, this isn't what my family wants to hear.  but my feelings always have to get out somehow, and writing about them on here is a much healthier alternative to the ways i have expressed them in the past.

i have been spending a lot of time thinking about this desire/need to write for a public audience but not necessarily wanting to write in the same way or on the same topics as i have before, and wanting to write more personally.  on one hand, i feel constrained by my concerns about people's reactions.  if i'm writing about me and my life, i'm also writing about people i know, as in the post discussed above.  and maybe it is selfish/self absorbed... a common criticism of me by my family members (and the most recent rage filled anonymous commenter on this blog).  but most personal writing is exactly that, and i also feel that by writing about my personal experiences, i may be able to express something that others can connect to emotionally, in the same way that my food writing used to feel as though it connected people with good things to eat in cincinnati.

i don't know what's coming in the future for this blog, but that's what's going on in my head about it.