[The Back Window]
CREDIT: Wendy Ding (?)
CREDIT: Jookabox - You Cried Me
[The Pacific Garbage Vortex]
In the beginning of this series I mentioned my concern about the amount of plastic in the ocean, this is a follow-up to that thought process.
The last few months I have been reading a great deal about what scientists are calling the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch". As "industrialized" and "civilized" cultures struggle with waste management, we seem to be taking the easy way out by dumping all of our trash and shit (literal shit in this case) into the ocean. Western Coast Cities/Countries and the Asian-Pac nations' trash is entering the sea and is swept up in a "swirling vortex" that has been named the North Pacific Gyre.
Basically, all of our trash is getting sucked into the vortex in a massive area of ocean between Japan and California (about twice the size of Texas). A good portion of this trash is non-biodegradable plastic. Plastic does not break down: at a molecular level, plastic is still plastic. If by some miracle it is introduced to an element that breaks it down, it releases toxins like formaldehyde which are linked to a few different kinds of cancer. You are probably saying "well it's a good thing that plastic isn't breaking down in the water". You might be right, except that animals are eating the plastic.
Assuming the animals don't choke on the item they are eating, they will begin to accumulate plastics in their stomachs becoming heavier (since it isn't getting processed - it stays exactly as it was when it was consumed). Eventually the animals become immobilized and die or their stomachs will be so full of plastic that they starve to death because actual food doesn't fit anymore. The ocean food chain is getting wiped out at an alarming rate.
As these animals become more lethargic, they are easier to catch and bigger animals eat the little ones and plastic is introduced into another, bigger food chain. As it stands, an estimated 100,000 marine mammals and 1 million seabirds are killed each year due to plastic debris.
So you may be wondering "how can we fix this". The most probably answer is... we can't. There are ships that literally scoop up the plastic that is floating to the top in the gyre , but that is the tip of the proverbial plastic iceberg. As plastic floats around in the ocean, it breaks part into tiny sand-like speckles. These speckles are sitting all over the ocean floor moving around the entire planet as we speak. We have a plastic ocean and there is no way to fix that.
The only thing we can do to improve (not correct) the situation is to stop dumping more shit into the ocean. This will stop the animals from eating whole pieces of plastic that immediately kills them vs. long term exposure to the micro-plastics. I will leave you with this truth - everything on this planet is soon going to be on a hardcore plastic diet - like it or not.
Click here for more on the garbage patch.
[Recipe of the week: Chicken Enchiladas]
Credit: Norecipes.com (check out the link there are awesome pictures)
This should make about 10 enchiladas (at least it isn't fish!)
UPDATE - Here's a picture from about 20 minutes ago:
INGREDIENTS:
Chicken
1.5 lbs chicken breasts (or tenders)
2 qts water
2 Tbs salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp Mexican oregano
1 bay leaf
Enchilada sauce
5 Ancho chilies
5 Guajillo chilies
1 large onion
3 large cloves garlic
2 Tbs oil
15 oz can tomato sauce (pureed tomatoes)
2C water
1 Tbs sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp Meican oregano
1/2 C crumbled queso fresco
Wash the chicken breasts and trim any fat, skin or tendon from the meat. Heat the water, salt, cumin, oregano and bay leaf to a boil. Add the chicken and return to a boil. Cover with a lid and turn off the heat. Let it sit for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked all the way through. When it’s done, strain the chicken and shred.
For the enchilada sauce, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the chilies with oil, place on a baking sheet and roast until fragrant (about 7 minutes), be careful not to burn them or they will be bitter. When they’re done, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool off enough to touch. Tear the stems off and remove all the seeds. Boil some water. Soak the roasted chilies in boiling water until re-hydrated, about 45 minutes.
In a food processor, puree the onions and garlic. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and fry the pureed onion and garlic until reduced down to about 1/4 of the original volume and it’s nice and caramelized. This will take 20-30 minutes, but it’s where a lot of the flavor comes from so it’s worth the wait.
When the chiles are re hydrated, add them to the food processor and blitz until pureed. Add this to the caramelized onions, then add the tomato sauce, water, sugar, salt, cumin and oregano. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the enchilada sauce has thickened and the flavors have had a chance to meld. Pass the sauce through a mesh sieve to remove the chili skins and mix about a 1/3 of the strained sauce with the chicken.
Heat about 1/4″ of oil in a frying pan and fry the tortillas. They should heat through and get soft but be careful not to get them crisp. Drain the on paper towels and pat off any excess oil.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Put a couple spoonfuls of chicken into each tortilla and roll. In a 13″ x 9″ casserole dish, lay each enchilada down with the seam side down. Cover with the rest of the sauce and sprinkle the queso fresco on top. Bake until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly.
ANNOUNCEMENT
As part of the Sunday Leftovers anniversary, I am pleased to introduce a new addition of the "Joey Network": Recipes.Joeylombardi.com. Any recipe that has appeared on Sunday Leftovers can now be found on a search-able (although the search function isn't working at the moment) blog. I hope you use and enjoy it.
[DIY of the Week: Ikea Window Seat]
IKEA Hack - More DIY How To Projects
[Housekeeping: Removing Old Websites]
For those who have been following me for a while, you know I tend to purchase domains on a whim and keep them well past their intended purpose. There were several websites that have reached their expiration points and I want to announce the formal decommissioning of the following "Joey Network" websites:
www.computerjoey.com
www.lomparty.com
blog.lomparty.com
halloween.lomparty.com
Computerjoey.com and Lomparty.com will forward to my main site - JoeyLombardi.com. I have also dissolved any blogs associated with those sites. I was also going to decommission joeyandallison.com but I am pleased to announce that my wife has taken over the domain and will operate it as a blog. I am interested to see what she does, so give her a visit and be kind while she comes into her own.
[Music Reviews]
NOTE: I think I will skip the video of the week since you are getting 4 in this section....
The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You
The Avett Brothers have been a favorite of mine for the last few years. Their folk-dixie-rock combination makes for outstanding music and live performances. I was fortunate enough to get a sneak peak of their new material when they played Philadelphia in May. At the time, I thought the songs sounded out of place in their set, but were welcome due to their upbeat tempos. Months later, I have been able to listen to the final version of those songs....
"I and Love and You" is the Avett's first "big time" record. Hooking up with Rick Rubin, the band has not abandoned their country roots, and in fact presented a somewhat somber and restrained album. While I have no issue with "sad bastard" music, the up-tempo songs that I heard from the concert in May don't seem to mix well with the rest of the album and in my opinion should have been reserved for a project of similar material.
Stand alone, the songs are beautiful. Together - they have me scratching me head. If you are part of the cool kids and buy your music on iTunes (and don't listen to the whole album) you will think I am an nuts for being negative and maybe I am. I still love the Avetts and think they are fulfilling their promise of being a truly great American band but this recent effort has room for improvement. Here is my favorite song from the album live on Craig Ferguson:
Tegan and Sara - Sainthood
I was introduced to Tegan and Sara via the "Veronica Mars Season 1 soundtrack" and was really impressed. I immediately went out and found their other albums and enjoyed them (I got alot of shit about it too). I like their pop-punk sound and love their harmonies (being twins - they sound almost alike but not exactly). Needless to say, I was excited for their newest effort - Sainthood. After repeated playbacks, I have to report that I am underwhelmed.
The girls scaled back on their harmonies and seemed to focus on their own individual songs. Since I wasn't expecting it, I feel like something is missing. The tone of the overall album is somewhat darker (or as dark as a Tegan and Sara album can be) which in my opinion doesn't compliment their "core sound". I think that I need to spend more time with Sainthood because I think there might be more to it. Will dig deeper and let you all know if I change my mind.
Gin Wigmore - Holy Smoke
I mentioned on this blog a few months ago that my favorite backing band "The Cardinals" (Ryan Adam's band for the last 4 years) was working with an Australian singer named Gin Wigmore on her latest CD. That CD was released in America a few weeks ago. Bottom line, I don't really hear the Cardinal's input anywhere in the songs. I was really looking forward to hearing Jon Graboff's pedal steel, but it was mostly (if not completely) absent.
Wigmore has an interesting vocal presence and presents herself to be somewhat deeper than most of the pretty blonds making music today. I am cutting the girl some slack because the music is decent and she has good taste in back-up musicians but she should have let them have more input in the end product.
Karen O and the Kids - Where the Wild Things Are (Soundtrack)
As a fan of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, I was interested in hearing what Karen O would do for a kid's movie soundtrack. Known for her frantic and angry lyrics, Karen O presented a very different side to her musical persona. Writing from the perspective of the movie's lead character Max, the soundtrack follows the beats of the movie's plot. It is an excellent example of character based writing and incorporating music into a movie.
Saying all of that, I can't listen to the soundtrack. I am deeply impressed with the effort, I am just not into the songs. I think this is a great CD for kids, but I can't see myself listening to this unless I am babysitting. But I think that's okay: I love the Garfield Halloween special and all of those songs, but I would NEVER listen to them outside of watching the TV special, even though they are hold a special place in my childhood. I can see this soundtrack holding a special place in a 8 year old's heart; and that kid could do alot worse than having Karen O residing in their chest cavity.
[Conclusion]
I know I got pretty heavy on you this week; it's a hell of a way to end this volume of Sunday Leftovers. Don't worry: next week we will start V2 and I will try not to be too harsh (I make no promises). In case you were wondering, Sunday Leftovers Issue 15 was the most popular of the series this year. I suspect it was due to the mention of a certain deadbeat photographer (more to come on that story BTW).
I sincerely want to thank you for reading this blog over the last year. I have regular visitors from all over the world and that fact astounds and humbles me. Every time I see a new spot on the world map shaded in, it brings a smile to my face and I hope I do the same for you (when I am trying). If you need to reach me, you can do so via email at: "blog at joeylombardi.com". As always, don't take shit from anybody.
Smell You Later,
~ Joey
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