I think this is Day 19. I’m losing track of the days because I stopped writing daily updates. I need to refocus my attention.
This past weekend’s “social” activities went off without a hitch. We had our “happy hour” on Friday night with another couple. They live downtown, so a lot of the conversation revolved around how their lives have changed lately versus how ours have changed. They live in a multi-story apartment building in a bustling part of town, we live in a townhouse in a quieter part of town. They’ve got large, chain convenience stores and grocery stores within walking distance, and we have to settle for mostly delivery when it comes to supplies. They seem to be venturing out a bit more than we are, but then again I’m probably taking way more precautions right now than a normal person would. Apparently some other friends/acquaintances literally have not left their houses since the “Safer At Home” mandate, which even I find impressive. We at least go out for daily walks and have left a couple of times to run quick errands.
On Saturday night we hosted another Jackbox.tv game night. This one included maybe 8-10 friends, and eventually devolved from Jackbox into this new app Mark and David were touting called “Houseparty.” We’re pretty sure it’s Russian or Chinese spyware, but it made for a fun 30-60 minutes of Taboo/Win Lose Or Draw-style gaming with built-in video chat. I took the night off from cooking dinner and opted to make paninis on my panini press instead. Until today we were out of deli meats, so the sandwiches were basically just veggies and cheese with pesto. We paired the paninis with cans of saison from Henhouse Brewing up in Santa Rosa and potato chips.
Sunday was an incredibly lazy day, but we made pork meatballs and pasta with tomato sauce for dinner. I used a really simple recipe for the meatballs online. You basically combine the pork with bread crumbs, grated parm, one egg, kosher salt, crushed red pepper, garlic powder, oregano, basil, et cetera. I also threw some sauteed mushrooms and shallots in with the sauce because we had ’em lying around and it made sense at the time. The pasta was basic penne because we don’t exactly have easy access to my favorite cavatappi or campanelle right now. We’ve basically been able to find spaghetti and penne. There are a few Italian restaurants nearby selling groceries now, so perhaps in the next week or two we’ll want to place an order with one.
Tonight we’re supposed to be having another video dinner date with some friends. There was talk of trying to compete to see who can make the fanciest meal, but I’m not sure how that’s going to happen exactly. I’m prepared to make scallops with a side of either peas and pancetta or lemon asparagus risotto? Honestly, I have no idea what we have in the pantry when it comes to grains for side dishes. If we don’t have risotto I guess I could whip up some brown rice and green beans. Whatever ends up happening, I’ll be back tomorrow to write about it.
It’s been a week since I posted The Flaccid Archives mixtape for you. The response has been…pretty okay! Today I’m back with another, similar mixtape. A lot of these songs are from the late ’60s and early ’70s as well, but they’re either from artists whose names already appear in The Acid Archives or the records were deemed by me to be too expensive for inclusion. The Michael O’Gara track specifically is one of note because it was my inspiration to make last week’s mixtape. Until I realized that O’Gara recorded under the name Michaelo, and that album is mentioned in the book, I thought it was an absolute diamond in the rough. So, please pay particular attention to that track. The London Records vinyl release of O’Gara’s album is quite easy to track down and shouldn’t cost too much. I think I got mine for $20 or $30, and it’s worth every penny.
Also, to flesh out the rest of the tape there are some random inclusions, including two tracks by Artery and one from 1 Mile North. I’m not sure why they’re being included other than I was listening to both recently. Enjoy! No track-by-track descriptions this week because I have to start preparing my Scallops soon. Sorry! I will say that I think the Floating Opera track is hilarious because it sounds like whoever wrote it listened to Tim Buckley’s “Morning Glory” and figured they could rip it off without anyone ever noticing. Nice try, Floating Opera!
As always, stay healthy and stay safe.
The Slightly-Less-Flaccid Archives
01. Marc Jonson – Rainy Dues [MP3]
02. Michael O-Gara – Crazy People [MP3]
03. Artery – Cars In Motion [MP3]
04. J.D. Blackfoot – Angel [MP3]
05. Nanette Natal – Annie’s Magical Brew [MP3]
06. Sand – Tattooed Man [MP3]
07. Bobby Callender – Nature [MP3]
08. Katie Briggs – Green Power [MP3]
09. Bill Wilson – Rainy Day Resolution [MP3]
10. The Sundowners – Captain Nemo [MP3]
11. John Buck Wilkin – Apartment 21 [MP3]
12. Euphoria – There Is Now [MP3]
13. Artery – Life And Death [MP3]
14. Floating Opera – Midnight [MP3]
15. 1 Mile North – To The Many Places I’ll Never Go [MP3]
