Andrew Baisley

Beards Take Time

Here’s the thing: I thought I couldn’t grow a beard. Thought there just wasn’t one in there. Turns out, I was wrong.

My friend Brian grew a beard when we were in college, and I was always jealous of it. I thought of the years when my dad wore a beard (to this day, he’s in a never-ending cycle of grow and shave) and how good he looked. I thought it would suit my style and my face. I just thought it wasn’t in me. And between TV, Put This On and touring, it was hard to find time to try anything out.

Then, one evening late last year, I came to a realization: it was almost Thanksgiving. I hadn’t shaved in a week or so, out of sheer laziness, and I wasn’t shooting anything or going anywhere for months. I had some room to try something. So I literally typed “Beard Forum” into the search box on my browser, and I clicked on something called “The Beard Board.” It was as I had suspected: there were beard nerds.

My goal was to find whether the amount of hair that seemed to be coming out of my face might form a credible beard. I looked at a lot of beard nerds’ faces on a thread called (not a joke) “Beard Journey Archive.” What I learned surprised me.

I’d grown out my facial hair for a couple weeks at a time, on vacation and the like, and been disappointed by the results. The one thing the beardthusiasts hammered over and over, though, was that it doesn’t take weeks to know if you can grow a beard. It takes months.

Which is awkward, and embarrassing, and weird. But I figured I might as well give it a shot, so I’d know. And lo and behold, two and a half months later, I had a pretty credible beard. I’m no Brian Wilson (baseball or music), but I like the results.

I’m still very much a beardginner, but here’re a few secrets I’ve learned along the way:

• Growing a beard takes months. Like two or three of them. Give it time before you decide if you like the results.
• It will look awkward for a while. If you can’t take the heat, stay out of the kitchen.
• Don’t shave the neckline too high. Nobody wants to be a weird neckbeardo, but the inclination to shave up to the jawline is all wrong. Give yourself about two fingers width above your Adam’s apple.
• Condition for softness. I use hair conditioner on my beard in the shower, and when I dry off, I use a beard oil. Mine smells nice, like bay lime.
• You will get food in it. Not one beardo I have talked to has a solution for this problem. C’est la vie en beard.
• Every beard is different. You might not get the beard you want or the beard you imagined. Be prepared.

soundcheckradio:

Watch comedian, looping vocalist extraordinaire — and Comedy Bang! Bang! co-star and bandleader — Reggie Watts perform an on-the-spot improvisation in the Soundcheck studio.

100-year old traditional cottage in Kućica, Zagorje, Croatia.

Contributed by Damir Žižić. More photos

Fab will announce its fourth round of layoffs in 10 months tomorrow. The ecommerce company expects to cut 80 to 90 jobs, all from its headquarters in New York. A spokesperson confirmed the decision after Buzzfeed broke the news of an email from the human resources instructing employees not to come in tomorrow.

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(Now you see it, now you don’t. This is a mirrored tree house in Sweden. The Mirrorcube at Treehotel.)

A-frame in Sierra Nevada, California.

Contributed by Dane Faurschou.

[A view of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum via Amy Dreher. The museum's entrance pavilion, at the far side of the north tower's reflecting pool, was designed by Snøhetta.]

This Wednesday's public opening of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum has sparked considerable conversation about the somewhat long-in-the-making dedication. Following last week's Times review of the somber space and its collection comes the take of New York Magazine's Justin Davidson. The archicritic asks similar questions to the Times, such as "How can a museum chronicle unsettled history, or interpret an event we don't fully understand? How can an exhibit be meaningful to those who were showered in ash that day and also to children who have yet to be born?" This is the unique challenge of a museum still living many events the September morning set into motion.

Davidson writes, "The meaning of 9/11 continues to change, which means that the museum must be simultaneously definitive and open-ended," quoting the museum's director, "'We're a museum that doesn't presume to wrap it up nice and neat.'" As it shouldn't. Following Davidson's rundown of the underground landscape that "leads you from small spaces to large, toggling between [the] intimacy and awe" inherent in the recovery process at the same site—distanced only by time—he surmises the museum is "tonic for the jaded and an antidote to denial." A successful result of the curatorial staff's deft handling of the cacophony of tangible, visual, and aural artifacts.

Despite the museum's efforts "to be an exercise in the cathartic power of memory," the hurt is still too near for many. The Times writes, "The local ambivalence is a complicated mixture of survivors' pride ... and emotional fatigue" that will keep many from visiting the museum. But perhaps, like the creation of the memorial and museum itself, in time and strides: immediately following President Obama's Thursday dedication of the museum, the chain-link fence that has surrounded the World Trade Center site's perimeter for over a decade was taken down, once again allowing it to become—in present day, outside of memory—a seamless section of Lower Manhattan.
· Getting to 9/11 [NYM]
· National September 11 Memorial & Museum [official]
· As 9/11 Museum Opens, These New Yorkers Will Stay Away [NYT]
· Passes Are No Longer Needed at 9/11 Memorial [NYT]
· Preview the 'Emotionally Overwhelming' 9/11 Memorial Museum [Curbed]

This is how good it feels to pledge support to WNYC on a Friday. 

Play your part: www.wnyc.org/join

Still relatively new to the neighborhood, White Cake bakery (on 43rd Ave between 48th and 49th) is much more than just a bakery. They certainly offer an assortment of pastries, but there is also a light food menu, including even a special brunch menu on weekends.

There aren’t too many tables inside, and the place seems to be popular, so we actually had to wait a few minutes to snag a table during brunchtime on a Sunday.

 

What looks like a mysterious concoction is just coffee. These jar-mug hybrids are used for a number of drinks.

 

A number of healthy items are available on the menu, including this carrot juice. There are a few vegetable-based shakes as well.

On the other end of the healthiness scale, they offer french toast, topped with strawberries. It’s a typical, fluffy, delicious french toast, but it could use some more fruit.

 

This may look like a burger, but it’s actually “breakfast sandwich #2” (sandwich #1 included bacon, which is why I opted for this one). Despite its mundane name, this is actually a pretty good dish, combining egg, cheese, and greens. It was very good, and certainly worth the price of around $7.

A sample of the various sweets available at the bakery. Overall the food and drinks were very enjoyable, and for very reasonable prices. The staff was a bit disorganized though, forgetting about parts of orders and a bit confused, but I think they are still getting used to the relatively large crowds that choose to brunch here.

gifak-net:

Cat Saves Boy from Dog Attack [ video ]

I read it in his voice, too. http://ift.tt/1fSzFiw

Slow Food is above all linked with its charismatic founder, Carlo Petrini, but from the very beginning, Vito Puglia equally pulled his weight. Twenty years on, this true pioneer doesn’t reside in a busy head office in northern Italy, but under an olive tree at his exceptional restaurant Perbacco in southern Italy. Only ‘noses’ and insiders know where it is. This restaurant is the playground of Vito Puglia, born and raised in Cilento, a little known region of southern Italy. Vito grew up to become one of the first pioneers and founders of the Slow Food movement. However, Vito is no marketing lad or savvy businessman. On the contrary, despite Slow Food being one of the most important culinary movements of all time, Vito prefers to stay small and keep a low profile. After all, Slow Food is all about going back to basics, back to the essence, with respect for local produce and the environment. Perbacco is not a conventional eating establishment of which there are so many. Foodie snobs who expect to find trained sommeliers and white tablecloths are better off staying away. Perbacco, as a tribute to Bacchus, is something special. A few tables scattered beneath centuries-old olive trees overlooking green hillsides and beyond the shimmering Adriatic Sea. This unknown corner of southern Italy seems to bathe in an impressive light cast over the surface of the sea, the olive trees and the historic villages where time seems to stand still. Which is why Vito has not built an ordinary restaurant here with four walls and a roof. His guests sit outside, under ancient olive trees, or in bad weather, in a kind of covered, furnished barn. Vito makes the view of the Adriatic Sea the protagonist in his decor. In a modest house beside the terrace you find the bar and Vito’s office.

For 23 years Vito has pursued his mission to preserve unadulterated tastes and products in his own restaurant. In combination with a club for Epicurean friends, Perbacco was first a wine bar serving food, then a small tavern where in the 1990s live music was played late into the night and today it is one of the finest restaurants in the region. Vito leads the restaurant with his team of two chefs, Ramon and his wife Cristina, who lovingly translate Vito’s culinary philosophies. The main ingredients on Perbacco’s menu mostly come from Cilento, which forms part of the Campania region, and are always seasonal. The local anchovy is a big favourite and the fish is served here in numerous variations.

 

Thanks to Slow Food, the alici di Menaica stands on the list of protected products, and a presidium has been set up to ensure this delicacy does not disappear. These small fish are still caught here in the old-fashioned and traditional way. In the past, this technique was used across the whole Mediterranean while now it is only along the Cilentan coast that fishing continues in this small-scale manner. Local fishermen go out in their boats at night to catch the anchovies with nets. Only the larger fish are caught in the nets while the smaller ones escape to continue growing. The fishermen immediately discard the head and viscera of the anchovies and store them in wooden crates, without refrigeration or ice. On arrival back at port, the fish are immediately washed with seawater and then layered with salt in terracotta pots for at least three months. Menaica anchovies are recognizable by their pale pink colour and intense, delicate flavour. They are the perfect accompaniment for many of the fresh pasta dishes on the Perbacco menu. Go for the vermicelli Marina Campagna with wild fennel, sweet little pepperoni verdi, mini tomatoes and of course anchovies. Vermicelli is typical in these parts and often served with wild fennel. The beauty of this dish is that there is no heavy sauce involved. The pasta is pure and remains light. The taste of the fennel and the alici dominate, while the sweet peppers and tomatoes remind you it’s still summer in Cilento.

The post DINING WITH MISTER SLOW FOOD first appeared on classe touriste.

Visitors to the stretch of Queen’s Broadway nearby my house often inquire about the silvery metal structures which adorn the sidewalks. They started turning up, as part of a response to a particularly heavy rainfall back in August of 2007 that flooded out and shut down the subways. The MTA was looking for solutions to keep such a thing from happening again, and decided to focus in on the sidewalk level street grates (that ventilate the underground system) as an entry point for floodwater as being something they could address. Rogers Marvel Architects, along with di Domenico & Partners, came up with this undulating (and award winning) design. Here’s the scoop on these items, with all the particulars, via contemporaneous reportage of MTA press releases at the NY Times. These subway grates are all over Queens, although the ones in this post are found on either Northern Boulevard, or on Broadway in Jackson Heights, Woodside, and… Read More

allhoursmag:

javier canale

Take a hike apples, get bent pretzels, because New York State's new official snack food is probably going to be creamy, bacteria-filled yogurt. Last night the New York State Senate debated a proposal submitted by a bunch of fourth graders to take yogurt to the next level, ultimately pushing it through in a 52 to 8 split. Yes, the New York State Legislature takes its advice from a bunch of ten-year-olds. [ more › ]

Tech stocks look like a Taylor Swift concert right now. Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Yahoo, Groupon, and King (the makers of Candy Crush) were all in the red this morning. Twitter continues to hit record lows after insiders were finally allowed to cash out . Yesterday 134 million shares were traded, more than seven times the normal volume.

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New York may be suffering from some serious condo-ification and chain store fatigue these days, but it was once (and still is) a cultural melting pot. And though big grocers like Whole Foods and Fairway stock lots of imported grub, sometimes its best to score global wares at independent shops that are a little less...Whole Foods and Fairway. Here are our favorite international food markets in the city—we know you'll leave yours in the comments. [ more › ]

Ever notice those windows cut into construction sites? They aren’t just there to help you look at cool machinery, turns out it’s now required by law. We’ve got the scoop on why they are now everywhere, and are asking your to snap a picture through the window and tag it #constructionpeep on Twitter or Instagram. Details.

Happy peeping!

-Jody, BL Show-

I was very sad when I learned that Blue Chips closed, but delighted to find out that it was quickly being replaced by El Norteno. Located on Queens Blvd between 42nd and 43rd streets, the new Mexican restaurant is almost identical to the old one – they even kept the decor and table layout. We forgot to take a picture of the front awning but will try to remember to add one later.

Despite “chips” being gone from the restaurants name, they still serve up the complimentary appetizer with a side of delicious salsa.

We opted for some margaritas on this Cinco de Mayo, but regrettably they were quite disappointing. They have a number of different flavors, but it’s all from a margarita mix, and with just regular ice cubes. The guava one was way to sweet, and even the classic margarita was barely sour. And there wasn’t even any salt! I won’t get this again here. Fortunately during a brief stop at Lowery’s afterwards I acquired the necessary ingredients to make our own margaritas at home.

The menu is very similar to the old one from Chips (and ultimately very similar to most Mexican restaurants), but there were a few unique highlights. Here is the burrito mojeno, which is like a regular burrito, but smothered with melted cheddar cheese and green and red sauces. An additional spicy sauce (the dark brown one you see in the picture) comes on the side. It costs just a couple bucks extra over a plain burrito, and I think it’s well worth it. The portion is huge but it was so delicious that I managed to scarf the whole thing down.

Another classic are the tostadas – the dish comes with three. It’s also noteworthy that the menu allows you to do “combinations” of certain dishes. $14 for 2 and $17 for 3. Can’t decide between an enchilada or a chimichanga? Get one small one of each! Each item can be selected with your choice of meat (with an extra charge for certain ones, like shrimp). The tostadas seen here weren’t as impressive as the burrito and could be described as average. They were also served on a thin sheet of paper for some reason, which made them harder to cut and eat.

 

peterfromtexas:

Yokohama FC 0-2 Kyoto Sanga FC [J. League Division 2] 06/05/2014

Yosuke Ishibitsu 45’

It worked!

-Jody, BL Show-

tastefullyoffensive:

How to Pet Animals by Adam Ellis

Previously: Animated Animal Facts

Rakesh Agarwal does not know when to say when, but he sure knows how to implode. The former PayPal global strategist followed up a Twitter spree insulting his coworkers with a spectacular cascade of expletives for, oh, just about everyone.

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Vinnie’s Pizza in Brooklyn spent 12 bucks on this Cinco de Mayo joke. Worth it? Only you can decide.

-Sean, Sideshow

Our ramps source confirms at 16:22 EST that ramps have turned up in the greenmarket today—we were told late this afternoon: "A few surprise ramps showed up at Columbia Greenmarket today. We may get lucky and they’ll be a few this weekend. Next week for sure." That greenmarket is located at Broadway and 114th Street. [ more › ]

humansofnewyork:

"We’re hoping to get some funding from angel investors before telling our parents we aren’t going to college."

Uh oh. Even parents know how to use tumblr.

-Jody, BL Show-

Architectural firm Superkül have designed the Stealth Cabin, located in Bracebridge, Ontario.

Project description

The design set out to make a small footprint home that married the warmth of a traditional log cabin with clean lines and energy efficiency. Designed to nestle into the existing topography of the site, the sculptural form of the cabin takes its cues from the rise and fall of the land, and the form of an overturned boat found on the property. A small environmental footprint was paramount to the clients. The cabin is sited to preserve the maximum number of living trees, and take advantage of the prevailing breezes for passive cooling. The cabin and the radiant heating system were designed so that the north half of the cabin could be closed off when not in use, to reduce energy consumption. Hot exhaust air from the high efficiency fireplace is ducted under the concrete floor slab to provide supplemental heating. The cabin i s designed for passive cooling and ventilation and orientated to take advantage of the prevailing breezes on the site. To minimize VOCs and resource use, interior and exterior wood surfaces were left untreated. This also helps to maximize indoor air quality. FSC lumber was used throughout the project.

“Stealth’s design was influenced by its environment and blends well with its surroundings. The lines and angles of the cabin play off the lines of the surrounding trees. It is a great example of using natural materials in a contemporary yet unobtrusive way. The OAA is excited to bring attention to innovative projects like this,” Bill Birdsell, president, Ontario Association of Architects.’

Architect: Superkül