Mark L. Van Name's Blog, page 283
May 29, 2010
On the road again: Balticon, day 4
It's late, and I'm exhausted, so I'll keep this shorter than it probably should be.
After going to bed very late, I was up late and out to a quick lunch at a local Panera. I was nervous about the stand-up show, which I still hadn't finished.
I returned to lead the Liars Panel, which packed the room and entertained everyone. We all had a very good time, and we raised a decent amount to buy books for local kids. The only bad news was that we failed to complete even half the questions, because ...
After going to bed very late, I was up late and out to a quick lunch at a local Panera. I was nervous about the stand-up show, which I still hadn't finished.
I returned to lead the Liars Panel, which packed the room and entertained everyone. We all had a very good time, and we raised a decent amount to buy books for local kids. The only bad news was that we failed to complete even half the questions, because ...
UFC 114: Our picks
Though as the main event commences, Kyle will be in the air on the way to Morocco, and I will be taking the stage for my new Wake Up Horny, Wake Up Angry spoken-word/comedy show, we cannot desert our loyal MMA fan readers. Thus, here are our picks for this evening's fights. We start, as usual, with the preliminary fights, where we disagree on only one outcome.
Jesse Forbes vs. Ryan Jensen
Mark: This one could go either way, because executing the right game plan could let either fighter win...
Jesse Forbes vs. Ryan Jensen
Mark: This one could go either way, because executing the right game plan could let either fighter win...
May 28, 2010
On the road again: Balticon, day 3
Morning came way before I was ready for it, but I got out of bed anyway and spent a half hour on the hotel's treadmill. I discovered that with the right distraction--in this case the Daniel Craig version of Casino Royale playing on a TV channel I could get--the time on the treadmill just vanishes.
I'm way past ready for the next Bond film.
Work, shower, work, and then off for lunch to a place I try to visit yearly in Baltimore: Cafe Hon. The food is good but not great, but I still love the...
I'm way past ready for the next Bond film.
Work, shower, work, and then off for lunch to a place I try to visit yearly in Baltimore: Cafe Hon. The food is good but not great, but I still love the...
May 27, 2010
On the road again: Balticon, day 2
Much of today went to work, but I also got to participate in three fun activities.
The first was lunch at Mr. Rain's Fun House, which is the cafe on the third (top) floor of the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM). The cafe's food was interesting and delicious. We started by sharing the Crab & Mango tartare appetizer, then had Kobe beef hot dogs with Mexican toppings--easily one of the best hot dogs I've tasted.
Fortified for our adventure, we toured AVAM itself. When I was last here, e...
The first was lunch at Mr. Rain's Fun House, which is the cafe on the third (top) floor of the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM). The cafe's food was interesting and delicious. We started by sharing the Crab & Mango tartare appetizer, then had Kobe beef hot dogs with Mexican toppings--easily one of the best hot dogs I've tasted.
Fortified for our adventure, we toured AVAM itself. When I was last here, e...
May 26, 2010
On the road again: Balticon, day 1
Balticon doesn't start in earnest until Friday, but my trip this time will run Wednesday to late Tuesday. After work today, we headed north by car, both to avoid the heavier traffic of Thursday and to minimize my offline time. In general, I have to call this travel strategy a success, but it's probably good only for night-owls.
When I arrived, I was already mostly caught up on work email thanks to my 3G iPad's ability to let me do email while in the car. (No, I didn't do email when I was dr...
When I arrived, I was already mostly caught up on work email thanks to my 3G iPad's ability to let me do email while in the car. (No, I didn't do email when I was dr...
Want a shirt from either spoken-word show?
And would you like to help buy books for kids?
If so, you've come to the right place.
We're selling the limited-edition shirts for the Saturday night premiere of Wake Up Horny, Wake Up Angry, and I'm donating all the profits to Balticon's charity, buying books for kids in the Buck Lodge Middle School.
As you can see from this picture of the shirt's back, you can be the proud owner of a mostly black fashion item that is sure to offend almost everyone who sees it. (Those it doesn't offend are li...
If so, you've come to the right place.
We're selling the limited-edition shirts for the Saturday night premiere of Wake Up Horny, Wake Up Angry, and I'm donating all the profits to Balticon's charity, buying books for kids in the Buck Lodge Middle School.
As you can see from this picture of the shirt's back, you can be the proud owner of a mostly black fashion item that is sure to offend almost everyone who sees it. (Those it doesn't offend are li...
May 25, 2010
Herons and Chef Scott Crawford hit a home run
(Sorry for two restaurant reviews in a row, but I'm a bit behind on them.)
A couple of weekends ago, we decided it was time to return to Herons to see what Chef Scott Crawford and his team were doing with the best of the local spring foods. This time, though, when I called for the reservation I showed off a few foodie credentials and then asked them to convey my simple message to the Chef: Please make the food you would most like to make, the menu you wish you could serve, really go crazy, a...
A couple of weekends ago, we decided it was time to return to Herons to see what Chef Scott Crawford and his team were doing with the best of the local spring foods. This time, though, when I called for the reservation I showed off a few foodie credentials and then asked them to convey my simple message to the Chef: Please make the food you would most like to make, the menu you wish you could serve, really go crazy, a...
May 24, 2010
Crook's Corner and honeysuckle sorbet
A few nights ago, we drove to Chapel Hill for dinner at Crook's Corner. Bill Neal and Gene Hamer made this place famous among foodies, particularly southern foodies. Its signature dish was shrimp and grits, a combination that Neal made popular and that you can now find in many fine restaurants. Hamer and Chef Bill Smith have kept the place rolling since Neal's death. I hadn't been there in a long time, so a trip was overdue, but what pushed us into going was the availability of another of the...
May 23, 2010
Makin' biscuits
Last week, a group of us went to Gina's belated birthday party, which was a cooking class in which the fine folks at A Southern Season taught us to make two types of biscuits. Under their tutelage, we split into groups and worked our dough and put our biscuits into their ovens.
This was an entirely new experience for me.
I don't bake. Never have. I love fresh-baked breads and pies and cakes and biscuits and so on, but if I'm going to cook it, I want a flame involved. Put me in front of a ...
This was an entirely new experience for me.
I don't bake. Never have. I love fresh-baked breads and pies and cakes and biscuits and so on, but if I'm going to cook it, I want a flame involved. Put me in front of a ...
May 22, 2010
Jon & Lobo will return
When I was young, I was a huge fan of the James Bond movies. (I still am.) When each movie ended, I would sit in the theater as the credits scrolled and anxiously await the magic moment when the screen would light up with the words
James Bond will return inAs long-time readers of this blog will know, my contract for the Jon & Lobo series ended with Children No More. You may also remember that I am far from done with the series; CNM was book four, and my current rough outline requires about ...
