Meanlevee

Did you know that clover lawns require much less water and mowing than stupid grass lawns? Actually, did you know that clover lawns are a thing? Clovers crowd out weeds, promote grass growth, enrich the soil with nitrogen, encourage pollinators, and feed wildlife. So, they are better than grass in every conceivable way. Lawn care companies want you to believe they are undesirable weeds, but don't believe them. It isn't easy, though. It takes work, and there is a learning curve. Let it never be said that I'm just too lazy for grass lawns. I'll explain. Strong Bad said this in SBemail 195: Love Poems, and it's true. My herculean struggle to cultivate the ten by thirty something-foot sloped patch of dirt in front of my house begins anew, as Spring approaches. For over two years I have been broadcasting seeds, raking, watering, and overseeding in the suggested Spring and Autumn planting periods. The results have been mixed. I've learned a lot, though; partially from...

A few years ago, I was watching '80s action/comedy classic Beverley Hills Cop, and decided I wanted to make a shrimp salad sandwich like the one that Axel sent Rosewood and Taggart. I never had one before, so I just made up my own recipe.  It's an easy thirty minute style Sandwich meal a la Rachel Ray. Here's what  you do: Thaw your shrimp (peeled, deveined, tail off) in a colander, under cold running water. It takes five minutes. Prepare your sauce in a mixing bowl. One cup aioli (I use Duke's mayonnaise, lemon juice, and crushed garlic), heaping tablespoon of Dijon mustard, a generous amount of Tony Chachere seasoning, dill weed, and a pinch of pepper. sauté shrimp in olive oil and butter. Season with garlic, chopped green onions (white part), and TC. I suggest finely chopping about half of the shrimp, and roughly chopping the rest. Just keep chopping until you are satisfied. Combine the shrimp and sauce. Chill. That's it. You can add whatever you want. Here, is m...

Amy hungry. Amy want Taco Bell cinnamon twists. In 1995 Taco Bell introduced a Congo promotional tie-in burrito "piled high with seasoned beef, rice, beans, a blend of three cheeses, and fiery red sauce". At 99 cents the Volcano Burrito sounds like a steal, except it was made by Taco Bell, so it probably wasn't very good. But the commercial was cool. The commercial features a fabulous Tex-Mex dinner stripped down to its core components: meat, beans, rice, and heat. It's not fancy, and it's not strictly authentic Mexican, but it doesn't need to be. Authentic Mexican food has its place and the oft maligned "white family taco night" meal has its own very beloved place. With a little bit of skill, and fresh ingredients, you can do it better than Taco Bell, and even better than most real restaurants. It takes about 45 minutes. Here's what you do: rinse your veggies chop the stem off of your head of iceberg, and skillfully carve out the white and yello...

One of my favorite genres of movies is the kind where Jackie Chan plays a character with outrageous Kung Fu skills, for no discernable reason. Sometimes he plays a cop, or a martial artist with formal training, and it at least halfway makes sense, but other times he is a TV chef, or something. Imagine if Iron Chef Chen Kenichi managed to accidentally run afoul of some organized criminals and proceeded to beat the Hell out of everyone for 70 minutes worth of action set pieces. Bang a gong, we are on! Jackie Chan's Thunderbolt (1995) does fall under the Mr. Nice Guy category of regular joe protagonists who kick wholesale ass, but there is only two fight scenes in the movie (they're pretty long, though). This is because it's a racing movie, thriller, crime drama, and a love story. This movie does things I've never seen before. It starts out with a music video/montage showing Jackie's character Foh mastering his trade as an expert mechanic at the Mitsubishi plant in Jap...

  ...I've got another puzzle for you! I'm always watching movies. About a month ago I treated myself to a good ol' New Year's Eve romantic comedy classic: When Harry Met Sally. Near the end of the film, after the third-act breakup, there is a scene wherein Harry is trying not to think about blowing it with the love his life, so he is settling in for the night with the "best cookie in the world" according to him. And this got me really wondering--what is a Mallomar anyway? Billy Crystal with Mallomars. Well, it's a Nabisco marshmallow and graham cracker cookie coated in chocolate--so pretty close to a S'more. Okay then. These are always mentioned on TV and movies as a throwaway reference; I don't have any numbers, just trust me. It must be fairly popular because, after Oreos, and maybe Fig Newtons, I can't think of a store-bought cookie brand that gets namedropped more frequently, but I've never had one. I've never seen them in a store...

  Where do these dogs come from? They're not in the film. I had no idea Ginger Rogers was such a comedic talent. She is, after all, the Dancing Woman; She and Fred do ballroom/jazz style dancing, or at least that's what I've been given to understand. In this film, however, she's cracking wise in a delightful deadpan delivery, and dances for less than 30 seconds (somewhat awkwardly with an older gentleman). None of this today, thanks. Fifth Avenue is a famous thoroughfare in Manhattan, New York City's wealthiest borough, which had been greatly developed in the preceding decade. To be a Fifth Avenue girl is to be ritzy, urbane, and of the city. The titular character Mary Gray is a common woman between jobs and regularly thumbs her nose at Fifth Avenue types as she eats inexpensive sacked food at Central Park, which is adjacent. All this comes to bear. I'm alright, Jack, keep your hands off of my stack. I felt I had to look this up to be sure I understood the title...