Darwin's oeuvre
Coinciding with the AMNH exhibit I mentioned previously are two new books, each compiling Darwin's four major works on evolution: Voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle, The Origin of Species, The Descent of Man, and The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals. Prior to these releases, the four works had never been published together.
The first edition, Darwin: The Indelible Stamp, is from Running Press and is edited by James D. Watson, co-discoverer of the DNA double-helix structure. W. W. Norton follows with From So Simple a Beginning: Darwin's Four Great Books, edited by E. O. Wilson, the famous Harvard scientist who popularized sociobiological theories.
[via the NYTimes]
Vacation, winter, etc.
Been back from Orlando since Wednesday. My cameraphone went kaput on Sunday, so I don't have many pictures. Bah. But what I have you can see on my Flickr page.
Although everyone thinks I'm nuts, I love colder weather. I don't like icey sidewalks or streets, but I like cold. One reason why is chili. Big old pot on the stove, simmering all day. Yep. That was my Sunday. Yummmmmmmm. Goes well with Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout.
Also, seasoned up six more duck legs for confit. I'll cure them until Tuesday (keep it down, down) and then bake them in some fat.
As I said earlier, my cameraphone is deader than Caesar. Cingular's shipping me a new one. Let's hope I see it before the new year.
Darwin, at AMNH
This November, the American Museum of Natural History opens a major new exhibit on the life and work of naturalist Charles Darwin, of whom some of you may have heard. In the museum's own words...
This exhibition will explore the extraordinary life and discoveries of Charles Darwin, whose striking insights in the 19th century forever changed the perception of the origin of our own species as well as the myriad other species on this planet and launched modern biological science. Visitors of all ages will experience the wonders Darwin witnessed on his journey as a curious and adventurous young man aboard the HMS Beagle on its historic five-year voyage (1831–1836) to the Galapagos Islands and beyond.
The exhibition will feature live Galápagos tortoises and an iguana and horned frogs from South America, along with actual fossil specimens collected by Darwin and the magnifying glass he used to examine them. Darwin will feature an elaborate reconstruction of the naturalist's study at Down House, where, as a revolutionary observer and experimenter, he proposed the scientific theory that all life evolves according to the mechanism called natural selection.
Pages: illumination
This looks amazing:
One hundred exquisite medieval and Renaissance illuminated manuscripts, dating from the 10th through the 16th centuries and ranging from miniature portable Bibles to oversized Gospel books, make up a new exhibition at The New York Public Library. The Splendor of the Word: Medieval and Renaissance Illuminated Manuscripts at The New York Public Library, on view from October 21, 2005 through February 12, 2006, is the first full-scale exhibition to highlight the incredible breadth of the Library's collection of Western European illuminated manuscripts, among the largest in North America.
At the Humanities research library, at 42nd and 5th (the one with the lions), through February. [Links: NYTimes; NYPL]
Don't you go hurricanin' on my travel plans!
Bitch.
Duck confit
I threw together some duck confit the other day. It was pretty easy: season and salt some duck legs and refrig those for a couple days. After that, pull them from the fridge and brush off the salt, melt some duck fat, pour over the legs, bake for three hours.
Then, last night, we had our first meal with the yummy confit. I took some of the fat from the fridge and fried up potatoes and garlic. While those cooked, I heated up two legs in the cast iron--just long enough to heat them through and crisp them up--and oven-heated a parbaked ficelle. Jen threw together a salad, and we served it all with a French red wine.
Vive la France!
100 books, so little Time
Via just about everywhere, Time's top-rated English-language novels, from 1923 to now: http://www.time.com/time/2005/100books/the_complete_list.html I'm not going to bother debating the merits of any book on the list, nor will I lament the absense of a particular book or author. What I will do is list the books that I've read and those I'd like to read. Here goes, in Time's order (that is, alphabetical by book title). Books I've read: All the King's Men The Assistant (want to re-read) Beloved The Big Sleep (read at least twice) Catch-22 (want to re-read) The Catcher in the Rye (twice) A Clockwork Orange (twice) Go Tell It on the Mountain (want to re-read) The Grape of Wrath Great Gatsby (twice) Lolita Lord of the Flies (twice) The Lord of the Rings (twice) Neuromancer (twice) 1984 (twice) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (want to re-read) Rabbit, Run Ragtime Red Harvest Slaughterhouse-Five The Spy Who Came in from the Cold The Sun Also Rises (twice) To Kill a Mockingbird Watchmen (twice) So, 24% of the full list. Books I want to read soonish: An American Tragedy Animal Farm (how is it possible I've never read this?) The Berlin Stories Call It Sleep Deliverance Portnoy's ComplaintBirthday geeking
Today's my birthday, and in celebration, I took yesterday off and geeked around the city. Jen and I are flying JetBlue to Orlando later this month, and we discussed taking the AirTrain out there, but since we'd never done it, I wanted to do a dry run. When the AirTrain opened in Jamaica, Queens, the connection from the subway wasn't complete, so people reported being unable to find the connection and having to lug their luggage up many flights of stairs. With Jen's fibromyalgia, it makes no sense to take the AirTrain if we'd have to hassle with that. So: dry run. Also, I'm turning into a railfan, and I've wanted to check out AirTrain for a while. So I ran out to JFK yesterday, just for the fun of it, and to see if we could get from here to the JetBlue terminal without breaking Jen's back. I rode in the front so I could look out the window. Decision: The connection is easy; the train is quiet, clean, and fast; and it was easy to find JetBlue. Since we'll be traveling light, we just might do this to get out there. (We'll still probably cab it home.)
After rushing about JFK and dorking out on the AirTrain, I came into midtown (via LIRR to Penn Station, which I'd also never done), and took the E to Jen's building. I dorked around Barnes and Noble until she was ready for lunch, and we went to P.J. Clarke's. Then it was back to work for her and off to Midtown Comics for me--the quieter location at 45th and Lex--where I bought two trade-paperback collections.
Next, Grand Central, where I browsed Hudson News and Posman Books. I caught a glimpse of Chris Ware's new Acme Novelty Library publication, which is beautiful. I swear that one day when I have the money, I'll buy two copies of his latest whatever. I'll read and keep one around, but, with the other, I'll actually cut out and assemble the various papercraft gizmos he usually includes. Of course, knowing my dexterity, I'll probably have to buy several copies so I can keeping trying until I get the thing just right.
Jen joined me then after leaving work, and we went downtown, to Apple Store Soho. For this:
Sigh. I might need a moment.
Then, off to Pegu Club, a swank new cocktail bar on West Houston, operated by the libation goddess, Audrey Saunders. The goddess also runs Flatiron Lounge, one of our favorite bars, and where I usually get the sidecar.
Cocktails and bartending are my newest geekery. We can't afford to go too crazy with this, but I've been having fun learning about how to build a really good cocktail. And so when money allows, we like going out and imbibing same. As good as the cocktails were, I enjoyed just as much watching her expert staff of bartenders work their craft, and talking to them about their work. I'm not interested in mixing drinks in a bar, but I'd love to eventually have a cocktail party.
Then it was home, to pate and cheese and wine and nano playtime.
Trains, planes, comics, new gadget, good food, better drinks, and the best girl in the world. That's a damn good day.
Oh, and tonight? Serenity.