pointedview

I know it's sort of "welcome to 1999," but I finally got to play Dance Dance Revolution for the first time yesterday. Quite fun! I might have to pick it up for the Wii. I could see it being good exercise.

Some of you know I have an interest in epidemiology, and there's no question that sanitation is a key factor in the spread of many communicable diseases. Thus, The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters by Rose George might be worth adding to my library/to-read list.

Others I'd like to check out:

• Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency


• Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba and Then Lost It to the Revolution


• Firefight: Inside the Battle to Save the Pentagon on 9/11

As you probably gathered from my recent post about it, The Graveyard Book is a must-own. And even though it won't be the same as if Robert Jordan had completed it, I still want to read A Memory of Light when it is released.

Atlanta Cuisine has published their 2008 Readers' Choice list. As with most compilations of this kind, I agree with some of the selections and disagree with others. Vatica in a tie for Best Indian? Mellow Mushroom in a tie for Best Pizza? No, and no. Both are competent at what they do, but I've had better examples of both in this city. Speaking of Indian, I am quite sad that Angan has closed.

After reading the list, I'm craving a banh mi.

It's now available for sale, but if you'd like a preview, here are some videos of Neil reading:

• Chapter One


• Chapter Two


• Chapter Three


• Chapter Four


• Chapter Five


• Chapter Six


• The Interlude


• Chapter Seven, Part One


• Chapter Seven, Part Two


• Chapter Eight

I'll update this post as more chapters are added. I haven't included the chapter titles out of courtesy to those who might consider them spoilery.

I've just joined Urbanspoon. We'll see how the test drive goes. The wish list feature seems like a good way to keep up with places I'd like to try, such as Taka Sushi, Honey Pig, Eros World Tapas Bar, Royal China, and Urban Flats, as well as the new incarnation of Steverino's in Duluth (how many years has it been since I had a steak and cheese from them?).

If you're looking for me there, here's a link to my profile.

From left to right, top: Squid, eel, yellowtail, smoked salmon, and tuna
Bottom: salmon and avocado maki

I tried Sushi Zutto for lunch based on the review from Chow Down Atlanta. I'm liking Chloe's blog. Of course, anyone who hates PF Chang's is okay by me.) :)

I was pleased: the place is immaculate, and the nigiri portions were generous. The fish was extremely fresh. Since this was my first time, I went for the $12.50 lunch combo (miso soup, salad, and your choice of six pieces of nigiri plus one maki), rather than the all-you-can-eat (made to order; not a buffet) for around $16 (this is valid at dinner as well). It also made me happy that their lunch hours extend just a bit past most places. I know that Hashiguchi and Sushi Huku shut down right at 2:00 pm; Sushi Zutto is open until 2:30 pm, which is nice for those of us who start our days a bit later.

Minor con: they didn't have any low-sodium soy sauce that I saw, although I probably could have asked for it. I just don't like having to ask for a condiment that's right on the table in most of the sushi restaurants I frequent these days. I'd also like to try more of their rolls: the order checklist for the lunch menu, while reasonably comprehensive, seemed to be missing some of the more interesting maki listed on the printed menu. I'm not sure if they just ran out of room or if they don't prepare those rolls at lunch, so I'll need to investigate further.

The staff was friendly without being intrusive. I like that. Sometimes, I just want to eat my lunch without feeling obligated to socialize, especially if it's my first time visiting an establishment.

I'll definitely return. Sushi Zutto and Sushi Nami are the two best sushi options I've found at the north end of Atlanta thus far. While Nami's menu has more variety, Zutto is closer, and it's always nice to have a choice.

... Sarah Palin pronounces nuclear as "nukular." Y'all know that's a pet peeve of mine.

Poll #1271775 Vice Presidential Debate
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

Did you watch the vice presidential debate?

Who won?

I found this debate more infomative and interesting than the previous presidential debate, but that's not surprising -- I recall enjoying the Cheney/Edwards debate more than the Kerry/Bush forums, too.

I've refrained from saying much at all about Sarah Palin here, because I wanted to wait until the initial media wave was over and the dust had settled enough for me to have more than a "What the ...?" reaction. However, I have a personal anecdote that I feel is relevant to share at this time.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I were at Loco's, a local restaurant/bar. There was a somewhat loud table of guys near us, and they were talking about Palin. One was heard to exclaim, "She's porn star hot!" I swear on my Neil Gaiman collection that this is a direct quote.

This has become a sarcastic joke in our house since that time. My husband has a master's degree in cognitive psychology, and has plenty of experience in analyzing behavior from a removed perspective (also known as the "David is gazing at you as though you were an unusual insect" look). :) In other words, he's far too intelligent to fall for a choreographed song and dance. My beloved is more conservative than I am, but both of us agree that she's out of her league.

The reason I mention this anecdote is that it seems to correlate with a noticeable gender divergence I observed in CNN's response tracker. There was a split at times between the way Palin was tracking with male and female respondents. Watching her was much like watching a poker game: she full-on flirted with the audience, pulling out the cutesy playfulness shtick and actually winking on several occasions when she was bluffing and clearly didn't have anything substantiative to offer. I got the impression that she has relied on her looks to some degree in her life, and here, they were a fall-back measure.

Folks, she's running for the vice presidency of the United States, not head cheerleader. And the tracker showed that the female tracker respondents weren't buying it, but that many of the male respondents were.

Not that I think any of those respondents are reading this, but don't embrace her political views just because she's a pretty girl: critically assess what she's actually saying. Read a printed transcript if that will help you detach the appealing visuals from the actual content. Put a poster of her on your wall if you like, but don't force the rest of us take her home for four to eight years.

( More thoughts behind the cut )

And to the guy at Loco's, if you want an elected official who is "porn star hot," I suggest that you move to Italy. They've been there, done that, and didn't re-elect her.

( Additional links )

• Gas crunch hits delivery businesses



• Then and now: the fuel crisis



• Gallery of images



• Gas lines overshadow big weekend events in Georgia
  

  Weeks after Hurricane Ike shut down Gulf Coast refineries and dried up interstate pipelines, the shortage continued, hitting hardest in Atlanta, Nashville, and the Carolinas, including the Charlotte area and the mountain towns to the west. Many across the Southeast were keeping their cars in the garage this weekend, forced to cancel plans for fear they’ll run out of gas.



• Many factors combine to fuel gas shortage
  This is probably the most informative of the articles:
  

  Q: Why are we having gas shortages in Atlanta?
  
  A: Hurricanes Gustav and Ike hit back-to-back. The refineries shut down in anticipation of Gustav. Then Ike hit and the gas production and refineries didn’t restart because of power outages. That also affected the operation of major pipelines that move gas from refining areas in the Gulf Coast to facilities throughout the Southeast.
  
  Q: Why does it seem that there’s more of a shortage now than after Hurricane Katrina?
  
  A: The stockpiles of gasoline and other products are lower now than after Hurricane Katrina. So current shutdowns are mainly due to power outages in the areas where there are refineries. The good news is they’re starting to come back online. Production will be restored faster than it was after Katrina and Rita because the refineries weren’t damaged as badly. As of Friday, only four of 56 Gulf Coast refineries remain closed.

As for me, I haven't taken my car out of the garage since Friday. I'm at a little under half a tank right now, and I'm trying to hold out.

I was sorry to hear of Paul Newman's passing. He was a fine actor and a generous philanthropist.

Paul Newman dies at 83

Coincidentally, the last movie I blogged about was Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.