fave song friday: "when they fight, they fight"

Generationals is a New Orleans-based duo (made up of ex-Eames Era guitarists Grant Widmer and Ted Joyner) that opened for the Apples in Stereo at Cosmic Charlie's a few weeks ago. We picked up their debut album, Con Law, after the show. What I like about the record is its modern approach to 60s pop—while the songs cross various genres, the production never seems to stray very far from the sounds of that bygone era (think Phil Spector, George Martin). You can stream the whole thing here.

"When They Fight, They Fight" is the lead single from Con Law. It's one of those songs that'll sound good with the car windows rolled down on a lazy July afternoon—I really like its sunny, summery sound and Motown girl group sensibility.

Fan-made video of the song 'cause Apple shut down Lala today:

soup and bread (for stormy weather)

The weather has turned cold and rainy, which always makes me yearn for something warm and comforting in my belly. I'm also trying to work more fiber and whole grains into our diets, which gave me an idea:

Split pea soup and yeast-raised cornbread. (Click links for recipes.)

This is my go-to recipe for split pea soup, but I can't remember if I've ever blogged about it. I forgot to pick up the dried green split peas when I went out to buy ingredients today, so I ended up using a bag of yellow split peas I found in the back of the cupboard. It worked out just fine (couldn't really tell the difference, though I've read that yellow split peas are milder than green) and I'm glad I was able to use it up.

I've been wanting to try the yeast-raised cornbread recipe ever since I saw it on 101 Cookbooks (whose cornbread photo is much, much prettier and more drool-inducing than mine)—there was just something about those corn-flecked, chive-studded, melty butter-topped whole wheat rolls that was calling my name . . . and they did not disappoint. I'm pretty sure I like these rolls better than traditional cornbread; they were crusty outside, tender inside, and perfect for mopping up that last bit of soup in the bowl.

fave song friday: "dignified dignitary"

[Photo credit: You Ain't No Picasso]

Last Friday, we saw Apples in Stereo, a founding ensemble of the Elephant 6 collective and one of the greatest indie pop acts ever, at a place called Cosmic Charlie's right here in Lex. Tickets were cheap and the venue was small and not an hour away (more if you count traffic)—all pluses in my book.

Lexington was the first stop on the Apples' tour to promote their new album, Travellers in Space and Time. Consequently, lots of talk on stage about time travel and being from the near-distant future. Robert Scheinder explained that unlike other bands that foretell of a world befallen by robot apocalypse, their vision of the future is a more happy, peaceful one where man rises above the challenges before him. When you combine all of these things with the lighting, artificial fog, and band members dressed up in crazy futuristic costumes, you know that you're in for a good time.

Interestingly enough, this was probably the most entertaining show I've attended since seeing The Flaming Lips and Beck share the same stage in Salt Lake City in 2002. Maybe I have a thing for bands that have a preoccupation with the future and the fall of man at the hands of robots.

The whole Apples set rocked and was so joyous and fun. One of my favorite moments was when the band brought out a trumpet and sax player to back them up for "Go!" As for the new songs, I think they sounded really great live—they had an extra spark that I can't quite pick up from the studio version. I also think the near-distant time travel theme is appropriate. The Apples in Stereo are probably best known for their bright and catchy 1960s pop/rock sound, and Travellers in Space and Time for the most part definitely beams them a few years forward into the realm of the 1970s and 80s.

They opened up their show with a song called "Dignified Dignitary," which might be my favorite song from the new album. It kind of sounds like something that the Beatles and Pavement would've collaborated on. And it talks about actuaries, something TJ knows a little about.

Dignified Dignitary - The Appl...

cincinnati saturday

Since Cincinnati is about only an hour away from Lex, we drove up on Saturday afternoon to visit with my college bff and her husband and to meet their happy little baby Evy. We hadn't see them since our wedding four and a half years ago, so it was splendid to spend some time with them and catch some sights around the city.

I finally decided to trade in the old point-and-shoot for a brand new Nikon DSLR. Hurrah! After much soul-searching, I decided that my first lens would be the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8. Sharp, super fast, and great depth of field—love it. But now I can't stop thinking about how much fun I could have with such things as a super wide angle lens and how nice it would be to upgrade my computer hardware and software to complete the package. I hate having expensive hobbies. I should just go outside and play with some sticks.

So the photo above is of a park bench in Eden Park, which we strolled by on our way to the 2010 Butterfly Show at the Krohn Observatory. The park is so nice—we saw a duck pond, playgrounds for the kids, and scenic overlooks of the city and the Ohio River. I bet it's a great place to watch the sun set.

The park also has a replica of the Capitoline Wolf. I was wondering what Cincinnati had to do with the whole Romulus and Remus story (perhaps the only thing I remember from all those years of Latin), but as it turns out, legend has it that Cincinnati, like Rome, was built upon seven hills.

The Krohn Conservatory was pretty cool. Of all the plant life, I liked the orchid display the best . . . maybe that's my fondness for Adaptation showing. I was hoping to see more butterflies, but they were more scarce than I expected. Could it be  . . . murder? Every time I got close to one some kid would barge over and make a grab for the poor thing. I understand that children of a certain age are curious, have limited motor control, probably don't mean any harm, and that butterflies are exciting and OOH PRETTY . . . but still. It was sad to see so many of these creatures poked and prodded to death, literally.

And of course, no trek to Cincinnati would be complete without a trip to Findlay Market for some Liège-style waffles (thanks to A + J for humoring me on this). These waffles are sweeter—they have a caramelized sugar coating—and are much, much denser than the typical Belgian waffles that we Americans know and love. The batter looks like a ball of cookie dough being smushed in a cast iron press.

The waffles are being ambushed by strawberries and whipped cream so you can't really see them in this picture, but they looked (and tasted) really, really good. On the flip side, at Findlay we also had the worst tacos I've eaten in my life. So bad that neither me (the least picky eater you'll ever meet) or TJ (who has never met a taco he didn't like) didn't want to finish them. If you ever find yourself there, do bypass the tacos and go for the gyros at Areti's, which were fabulous. The meat was flavorful and piled on high, the tzatziki was thick and a little garlicky, and the pita was soft and buttery and just a bit crispy on the outside. The gyros also had a good ratio of tomatoes and onions, which I appreciated.

april 1 is national census day

Forget April Fools' Day—today is also National Census Day, the day by which the Census Bureau would like everyone to return their forms, please. This is exciting stuff.

Ways to celebrate National Census Day (in addition to mailing back the survey, of course):

• Listen to the hold messages on the Census Bureau help line to hear all sorts of interesting facts and figures about this zany country in which we live. Just call (301) 763-2222. It's a dedicated phone line that simply recites all of the month's scripts, so you don't have to worry about going through automated prompts or talking to the feds. I just called earlier today and it still works. (My favorite fun fact: "Usually associated with fruit, Vitamin C is also found in potatoes—which is good, because while Americans on average consume 18 pounds of fresh citrus a year, they eat 39 pounds of potatoes." I wonder how much of that is in French fry form.)

• Check out this really, really cool interactive map that shows how well various communities around the nation are doing in returning their census forms. Interestingly, all of the top five states are in the upper Midwest. Our state is currently showing a 55% participation rate. Come on, people of Kentucky! Are we going to let Wisconsin beat us? We can surely do better than that.

• Watch Season 1 Episode 6 of The West Wing, "Mr. Willis of Ohio." Sam Seaborn taught me everything I know about census-taking methodology. (Though I suppose being married to a stats person helped in that area, too.)

Happy National Census Day, everyone.