Quote of the Day

Okay, it was actually from Sunday, at Billmon's Whiskey Bar:

Maybe as a species we really have reached the same evolutionary dead end as Australopithecus robustus - intelligent enough as a species to create problems we're not bright enough, or adaptable enough, to solve.

I like the dichotomy

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Banana Chai Bread

Okay, I haven't actually made this recipe, but it sounds really good, so I thought I'd save it here for posterity. I got it from the debt-proof living web site and it's kind of a pain to find.

If I ever make it, I'll tell you if it's any good...

Banana Chai Bread

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup low fat cream cheese
2 eggs
3/4 cup mashed bananas
1/4 cup strong chai tea* (brewed double strength)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl combine sugar, cream cheese and eggs. Beat by hand or with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add mashed bananas and chai to the cream cheese mixture. Stir until fully incorporated. Add flour mixture and mix until smooth. Pour mixture into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on rack. Remove from pan after 10 minutes. Serves 12. One serving contains 165 calories and 3 grams of fat and 31 carbs. Enjoy!

* Just in case you didn’t get gift of chai tea, it is available in most grocery stores with the coffee and tea.

It's Friday. It's Random. It's the Friday Random 10!

10. A Tribe Called Quest -- Mr. Muhammad
Ah, early '90s East Coast rap -- does it get any better? Nope.

9. The Beta Band -- Assessment
It's a great song. I just can't think of anything to say...

8. Lifter -- The Rich Dark Sultry Red of Hate
Not that my opinion matters much, but I think Lifter was sorely underrated.

7. Karate -- Sever
I napster'd this song because it was on the play list of this Internet radio station that used to be an on-air station here a few years ago (it's a long story). This song is only okay, though.

6. Greenwheel -- Shelter
Okay, so I *do* have the Spider-Man soundtrack, and it pretty much does suck (hey, I liked that damn 'Hero' song, so sue me). There are one or two good songs on there, though. This isn't one of them.

5. Janet Jackson -- Got Til It's Gone
Say what you will about Miss Jackson's more recent output, this song is incredible. Though that probably owes as much to Joni Mitchell and Q-Tip (see song 10) as Janet.

4. Stabbing Westward -- Save Yourself
Always good advice in these trying times.

3. Jesus Jones -- Welcome Back Victoria
Did I tell you that "Doubt" was one of the first two CDs I ever bought? Well, it was. The other? Big Audio Dynamite, of course. The one with "Rush" on it.

2. KT Tunstall -- Stoppin the Love
I have a love/bore relationship with ol' KT. Some of the songs on this album are really, really good, but just as many are lithium-like mellow. This one is somewhere in between...

1. Cake -- Commissioning a Symphony in C
Cake can sometimes be a little too precious, and this is one of those times.

Impressions of a Family Reunion

I went to Tampa, Florida for a family reunion this weekend. It was fun. Not barrel-of -laughs fun, mind you, but I'm definitely glad I went.

I don't really know that side of the family very well, so it's not so much like a reunion for me as it is a meeting of a bunch of new people (never my favorite pasttime).

I got to spend time with my mum, though, which was nice. Our relationship has changed since I was younger, not necessarily for the better, but it's always good to see her. She always impresses me with her strength and perseverence. She's a survivor, that's for sure.

Speaking of survivors, it was gratifying to see all the old folks in my family who are still alive and kicking, with all their faculties. It's also sad to think that some of them might not be around for the next reunion. There is so much black history there, living history, that I'm ashamed that I don't know more about them.

The weekend was too short, really, even though I was ready to go by the end of it, if that makes sense. It also rained buckets on our picnic on Sunday.

There was also a big Shriners convention in town, but, I'm sorry to say, I only saw one old guy in a funny hat the whole weekend.

Orange

  

Ooops, I guess orange kinda clashes with the cool new blog look!

Between

Between my own laziness and the damned computers, today I accomplished practically nothing.

So now I'm going home.

Belated July 4 Lyric of the Day

And I heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the 4th of july

-- Soundgarden


The above lyric doesn't really mean much of anything, but I've just rediscovered Superunknown in my quest to put all my musica on the ol' mp3 player. I can't believe I forgot this yesterday. Oh, well, there's always next year...