Obamamania: iTunes, musicians cash in

I don't care if Obama stimulates your creative juices--I don't want to hear a song called "Barack Obama." Now available on iTunes is a collection of songs inspired by Obama. Some of the artists moved by the man are Nas, will.i.am., and a host of lesser known crooners and troubadours.

The best songs written about politicians should be less obvious, which makes them cooler than some folksy kid strumming a version of "Barack Smile."

Be assured, this song will get stuck in your head for the next week

I became friends with LeVar Burton today on Twitter. (Is the world still flattening, Thomas Friedman???)

The original Reading Rainbow theme song:



That song takes me back to the days when I was 2 feet tall, sported a hot bowl cut, and licked the cream from Oreos without eating the cookies.

TJ's Gyoza Lunch

Here's another recipe to try. Again, I got all of the ingredients from Trader Joe's. My inspiration for this dish came from the blog, Cooking with Trader Joe's. They posted this great recipe for a Gyoza salad. I tinkered with a little to satiate my own palette:

Ingredients:
bag of frozen gyoza (They have it in chicken, vegetable, and pork)
sugar snap peas
baby carrots (the peeled, ready-to-eat kind)
Trader Joe's Crushed Garlic
Onions
Trader Giotto's Extra Virgin Olive Oil
about half a cup of water
soy sauce

Directions:
Defrost the gyoza for a bit (to make it easier to cook). In a small wok, add three tablespoons of olive oil, the crushed garlic, and onions. Throw in the gyoza. Add the baby carrots (cut them in half so they can cook easily) and the snap peas. Stir. Stir some more. Stir. Add olive oil/water when needed. Towards the end, mix in soy sauce to add some flavor and color.

This is what it looked like in the end:
Like the recipe posted on Cooking with Trader Joe's, you can play with it to your liking. Instead of soy sauce or sesame soy giner vinaigrette, you can use teriyaki sauce sauce. Or you can add water chestnuts for an even crunchier taste.

Where will you be when Obama is inaugurated?

Really, I want to know!

If you're going to be at work--like a normal person--you can watch it online. Joost is teaming up with CBS to show it on the internet. If you're on the East Coast, probably in the DC area, you can watch MSNBC coverage from select movie theaters. You can even catch it at your local Starbucks, if it is equipped with a tv!

I'm waiting for a headline that will say something like: "iPhone and Blackberry Joining ABC to Stream Live Inauguration Coverage."

Job Ad for Engineers

Found this at job ad on the 2nd floor of the engineering (III) building:
It's a little presumptuous to assume that all the 'geeks' reside in the engineering building. And it's a bit insulting. But I'm sure if I go to a ladies bathroom on North Campus, I'll find this ad's counterpart.

Just for kicks and giggles

Found on UCLA's front page:



Yes ladies, you know what I'm talking about.

Trader Joe's

The latest rage in Westwood is the new Trader Joe's. Here's a recipe using Trader Joe's ingredients:

Salmon and Lemon Artichoke Pesto Sandwich

Ingredients:
-roll of ciabatta bread
-Lemon Artichoke Pesto
-Smoked salmon (ready-to-serve, pre-sliced)
-spinach

Steam the spinach. Toast the bread. Then spread the pesto on both pieces of bread (put as much as you desire). Add spinach and salmon. Enjoy while the bread is still hot.

Repeat Assault: A stalker song

How I wish you could see the potential, 

The potential of you and me 

It's like a book elegantly bound, 

But in a language that you can't read 

Listen, and feel the romantic stalkishness of it: 

Because of the recesion: Lower Libido, Part 2

Even brothels are feeling the pinch(!): 

Egbert Krumeich, manager of Artemis, the largest brothel in Berlin, said that the recession had helped dent revenue by 20 percent in November, which is usually peak season for the sex trade. Meanwhile, in Reno, Nevada, the multimillion-dollar Mustang Ranch recently laid off 30 percent of its staff, citing a decline in high-spending clients. 

These days, CEOs would rather hit the sauce than "hit it." 

Because of the recession: Lower Libido

Even Playboy is experiencing money problems mostly likely due to the current state of the economy.

In these times, people would rather turn to Jack than bunnies.

Better than Rent: Prop 8 -- The Musical!

Found this through a random Twitter thingy.

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

What I'm listening to at work

I'm the only one in my office today so I made a work-friendly playlist of music: