On The Road (After Bed)

so, my last post lamented that my local pbs station wouldn't be airing a highly anticipated national series, spain on the road again ("rocky mountain high?). much to my delight and surprise a rep from kcts, my local station, emailed me right after the post went live to let me know that they will indeed be airing the series, just a month or so later than other affiliates. i said: great! i can wait until october.

well, tonight's the big night. i just checked the evening programming guide for kcts to see exactly when i can let myself be transported to spain and all things gwen and mario. i found out the airtime is tonight at 11 pm. now, is it just me or is that, like, BEYOND primetime? not to whine (more than necessary), but come now. spain on the road again is pre-empted by:

1. baseball (apparently a dramatic show, NOT a game)
2. conversations at kcts (not sure what this is, but please let it NOT be a donor drive)
and (this is my fave)
3. get ready for digital

the other day my friend kate asked me if i had seen the show on iTunes, since she knows i haven't seen it broadcast on tv yet and since the first episode download from iTunes is free and since every civilized person on earth has access to iTunes (being on par with having a flush toilet). i said, noooo, i'm waiting for the show to air to support my local pbs station.

smug little me.

not anymore. the gloves have come off. my enlightened liberal poise is taking a backseat (a spot way back in the trunk?) to facility. bring on the download, i say.

question: do you think the station didn't have to pay as much for the rights to air the show if they aired it after 10 pm? just wondering why (i presume) an infomercial for the switch to digital tv in '09 would pre-empt gwen and mario. or why it would pre-empt ANY show at all.

rocky mountain high? (on the road again, part 3)

everyone, stop what you are doing. i just found out some very sad news: my local pbs station, kcts, will NOT be airing, spain on the road again. i know, unconscionable, but true. i just downloaded the kcts september schedule. in the september 20, 7 pm time slot they will airing--wait for it--JOHN DENVER. please, feel free to locate kcts' email and send them very stern reprimands!

i'm going to have to get creative. i'm not normally about doing the bit torrent thing (aka, internet rip offs) but i'm definitely tempted on this one. maybe i should buy myself an early christmas present and just pre-order the dvd set...

ideas?

on the road again and soon

so, the time has come. finally. you'd think it was months and months since i blogged about the upcoming pbs series, spain: on the road again. but it's only been a few weeks, since august 12. i think it's that weird time thing that happens to us when we're excited (how the trip to disneyland takes forever to come and christmas morning eons to arrive, that sort of thing).



check out the site. mario will be blogging about the series, which is pretty cool. i did notice, and react with an understanding laugh, that his blog does not allow for comments. i'm sure he doesn't want to deal with a bunch of silly remarks. i can imagine them coming from all directions:

(the food enthusiast): "mario, i just LOVE your dad's deli in seattle" (that's something i'd prolly say if i ever got to eat at his dad's deli--read my august 31 post to see what my whining is about)

(the food network junkie): "mario, why DID they cancel molto mario? is fine living network REALLY a sister station?"

(hormonally charged guys): "mario, is gwyneth paltrow as hot in person as she looks in the movies? what was it like to spend 4 whole months in spain with her?"

(sycophants of any gender): "mario, where do you get all your orange shoes?"

(mothers/mother-types): "mario, don't you catch a cold from always wearing shorts?"

so, no blog responses from The Great One. that's okay, i'm looking forward to the sights, sounds and smells of italy (at least the imaginary smells coming through my tv) and i'm okay with not becoming mario's blogger bff.

it also looks like mario's "fellow travelers" will be blogging and i must say since my friend, kate informed me that mark bittman is pretty cool, i look forward to hearing his thoughts. and honestly, i have nothing against the girls, i really don't.

on a more contemplative note: i think we all pretty much get it now that there is no such thing as the simple release of a movie or show, at least not high profile ones. gone are the days when you just showed up at the theatre (with your nickel) and "saw the picture." gone, also are the days when you looked at the current listings of tv guide to see what's on. now it's about the release, the preview of the release and the preview of the preview. the fact that this is my second blog about a show that hasn't even aired is proof of that. not to mention that the series will be feature on an upcoming oprah episode and also graces the cover of this week's people magazine (which, incidentally will be the second time people has covered the show. may 12 was the first time).

i wonder if mario, who comes across as a very down-to-earth-guy (but a savvy one at that) ever just shakes his head at all the goings on?

ah, well. cynicism aside, i'll admit it: i'm excited to watch the series. bring on september 20, the day the first episode will air.

now, if only i could keep the wine cupboard stocked with rioja...

not so salumi or sam

a few weeks ago i had a thought that put several acts in motion: i would like to spend more time in seattle. i live about 60 miles north of seattle in a town that offers daily affordable train service to and fro, making the possibility of a driving- and parking-free day in the city possible, which is to say a stress-free and pleasant day in the city.

this is not to suggest that seattle itself stresses me out. on the contrary. i used to live there and immensely enjoyed it. the prospect of taking in the sights, sounds and tastes of downtown seattle more than two or three times a year (that is to say less like a tourista and more like a resident) is a really appealing idea.

part of the appeal of going to the city involves sam. sam, in this case, is not a person, but rather the seattle art museum. sam is known, among other things, for its first-rate exhibits and convenient downtown locale. the current exhibit inspiring impressionism, which looks incredible, will run to the middle of september when it will be replaced by yet another tantalizing one, that featuring the work of early 20th-century american artist, edward hopper.

sam, it turns out, is not only a great place, but a great price. doing a little research i found out that a yearly membership pays for itself in two or three visits.

instead of just thinking about seattle and sam and how i'd like to go more, i acted. i purchased a yearly family membership. in the process i found the moniker to be true: membership does indeed have its privileges. museum members routinely get discounts at taste. taste is the wine bar and cafe located inside the museum that features tapas (small plates), affordable wines, and best of all locavore (locally grown), organic and sustainable food. (what could be finer: art, responsible and yummy food, good wine...)

after pondering which wine might be good to sip after a long day reveling in art and pounding the pavement i checked my calendar for the next available day to go to the city. now, at this point it's important to tell you that my first choice of days to make this trip was a wednesday, but a check of the calendar informed me that the wednesday in question would not work nor, for that matter, would any days that week. the first availability was the following monday, the third monday of august.

third monday in august it was. after i purchased train tickets, i had another thought: salumi is right around the corner from the train station and the train gets in around lunch time: perfect! salumi is, as its
name would suggest, a meat shop and it is also a restaurant. it is operated by celebrity chef mario batali's family and is a seattle landmark (not to mention a vegetarian's nightmare). the meat is hand-crafted in the artisan style and it shows. the shop opens at 11:30 and the line at the door forms at about 11:29.

bizzaro but true for a foodie like me is the fact that i have yet to eat at salumi. i tried once, honestly i did. friends kate and omar, who were visiting one august week told me about the shop and together we made a trip there. but salumi was closed. and not just for the day, but for the entire month (apparently it is very italian to take a long vacation in august!). there was no chance of returning even another day during their trip.

i could not have been more excited to finally eat at salumi. the personal lead-up had been long and the reviewer ravings vast. let's just say food critics go hog wild about sinking their teeth into hot sopressata and lamb "prosciutto."


just looking at their online pictures makes one want to hide the hormel, that is for sure. so, salumi, it also was. we'd get off the train, grab a quick (or not-so-quick) sandwich and start the adventure off right. was this going to be a perfect day, or what?

or what. the saturday before the trip to the big city a friend told me that salumi is closed on mondays! yes, that's right, mondays. okay, i thought, no finochionna. we'll do that on another trip. i cheered myself with the thought that we could always grab a quick bite near the museum at etta's or maybe cafe compagne or even chez shea. we'd definitely not starve, that's for sure!

when we got to seattle, we realized that salumi is not the only place that takes mondays off. yep, so does sam. and to add insult to injury, sam is actually some mondays just for members. member mondays, as they are called which are normally the third monday of the month (OUR monday), but, for some strange reason, member monday in august was held the second monday.

not to be dissuaded--it was our first big day in the city in quite a while, after all--we made the most of it. we dined at etta's (somehow even the red hook ipa tastes better there--maybe its the grass-fed beef, home cured bacon and artisan cheddar cheese burger with, green tomato salsa and shoestring potatoes?), shopped at the filthiest ross dress for less you've ever laid your eyes on (there's even a seattle police officer working the door--no joke). we cruised the many shelves at elliot bay bookstore, where i bought several books, one of them anne lamott's grace (eventually) which was provocative enough to be the topic of a near-future post. we ended the day at--sigh--fx mcrory's, a sportsbar near the seattle stadiums that is well, a sportsbar (i'm not even going to give you the link, okay?). at this point in the day, i'll admit it: i did want it all to end. the day did go out with a bit of a whimper. but then the view of elliot bay and the puget sound on the way home was glorious. it's hard to stay grumpy looking at that...

there is always next time, as they say. and you can bet that next time will definitely come before impressionists leave sam and definitely NOT on a monday.