Things That Matter To People Who Matter
Crystal Pepsi; The Hold Steady; Molcajete Mixto; The New York Times Crossword Puzzle
Crystal Pepsi
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I'm really into Crystal Pepsi these days. I mean, a completely transparent soda? It's like we're living in the future. How many times have you looked at a bottle of regular Pepsi and had no idea what was on the other side? No longer a problem — not with Crystal Pepsi. Have I mentioned its colalike taste? When I drink it, I feel like an astronaut.
The Hold Steady
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I definitely go on streaks with music, and right now I'm on a huge Hold Steady run. These guys channel the energy and vision of early Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. They just released their third (and best) LP in October, titled Boys and Girls in America. They played the Stone Pony in Asbury Park in January — easily one of the best shows I've ever seen. Lead singer/lyricist Craig Finn has an uncanny ability to flesh out characters in three-minute songs better than most screenwriters do in 120. Folks have anointed them "America's Best Bar Band." It's time to remove "Bar" from the equation.
Molcajete Mixto
I can't understand why more foodies aren't regularly descending on this modest Mexican BYO in Bella Vista, but the usually half-empty room ensures quick delivery of the restaurant's eponymous dish: a molcajete (mortarlike bowl) filled with grilled skirt steak, chicken breast and cactus strips, all smothered in an ancho-tomatillo chili sauce brimming with ancient flavors you'll never find at Mad Mex. Recently, I've found myself craving its rich sauce and succulent meats during the most inappropriate moments (job interviews, funeral receptions, coitus). After you've experienced this gastric masterpiece, you, too, will concur that inappropriate mental Mixto musings are so in for '07.
The New York Times Crossword Puzzle
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I started doing crosswords when I was a kid — my mom taught me. It's a daily morning ritual, sitting in the recliner, next to a sunny window with a cup of coffee, filling in the puzzle. It's some of the best writing in the paper. It's sharp and incisive, written without ego and speaks directly to the reader, provoking thought and analysis. Isn't that what you want from a newspaper? Mondays and Tuesdays are the easiest. I can finish them in under eight minutes. Fridays and Saturdays are the hardest, and my favorite. Sometimes they'll take a couple of hours. And, hell yeah, I use a pen. Just like my mom.
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