Daily Loaf

I think I’m obsessed with lady songwriters who play piano and sing really, really well. That’s how I came to find one of my all time favorite artists, A Fine Frenzy (Alison Sudol). I distinctly remember going to Starbucks one day back in August of ‘07 and getting a free download of “Almost Lover” with my receipt. Sa-weet. I love free stuff. The next thing I knew, I was listening to the song on repeat in tears. It made me cry! I don’t cry!

This, my friends, is how I became a huge Alison Sudol fan.

Born in Seattle, Wa., Alison moved to Los Angeles with her mom when she was five. Smart move, mommy. After making her SXSW debut in 2007, Alison released her first album, One Cell in the Sea. Her single peaked at No. 25 on Billboard’s Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks. Soon enough, the songwriter found herself flying all over the world and playing sold-out shows, first opening for Rufus Wainwright (love him, too) and then on her very on headlining tour. Her music has been used in film and television, and she’s even guest starred on a couple of TV shows. Read the rest of this entry »

Hollywood Bro Fight!

On a new episode of Entourage this weekend, the characters made references to Seth Rogen’s “ugliness” as being “oddly fascinating” in debating whether Rogen could get with a woman like Katherine Heigl in real life.

Seth is pissed and is striking back:

“Yeah, I actually ran into Kevin Dillon in a Starbucks, and he’s like ‘You know, I’ve got to kind of apologize because apparently the guy who created our show doesn’t like you so much’ and I said, ‘Well, I have reason to believe because I think Doug Ellin is a moron from all I can understand, so it makes sense he doesn’t like me.’ And I’ve kind of said some disparaging things about the show. Although in our defense,

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One of life’s great pleasures (especially here in Tampa) and health benefits — coffee has it all. Caffeine, aroma, deep flavors and, to coffee connoisseurs around the globe, coffee is a known as a tonic that prevents diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and cancer. No wonder we hold a fascination with brewing this tasty bean!

Here’s a tip: next time you grab your morning joe, sprinkle a little cayenne on top. Not only does the spice help wake you up, but this pepper is packed with vitamins A and C along with the full spectrum of B vitamins. And taken in tiny daily doses, it can help prevent heart attacks and strokes. Read the rest of this entry »

I keep looking at his back. I want to leave scratches between his shoulder blades as his chest presses against mine. I want to squeeze my pale, slim legs around his waist until I can’t get any closer. I never want this feeling to leave my body, or his. It’s our secret–a secret only shared between strangers. The strange ones.

He has no idea I’m writing this while I watch him. He doesn’t even know what I want to do to him, or what I want him to do to me. I want those arms wrapped around my lower back, pulling me closer so we can feel every part of ourselves, together, connected as strangers: nothing known, only felt. Does he feel it too? Does he think about me the way I think about him? Does he want me just as bad? Is it strange to feel so passionate about someone I have never talked to, or are strangers the only subjects for true desire?  Read the rest of this entry »

What you don’t know about espresso will kill you.

Well, perhaps that’s a bit of an exaggeration. But it kills me to hear people pronounce “espresso,” “expresso.” And most people don’t have the first clue as to what actually goes in to the making of a decent cup of espresso. Odd, given both the Latin and Italian taste for a short, sweet, stiff shot of this beloved, dark brew, and how popular espresso products have become both here and abroad.

So what exactly goes in to the making of a cup of hot espresso? Read the rest of this entry »

This week’s episode talks about the atrocious food offerings at Starbucks, Bamboo Club’s closure, this Saturday’s Abilities Wine Fest, the changing of the chef guard at The Table, in home wine tastings and our impromptu tasting of Korean Soju based beverage from Ty Ku.

Download.

Starbucks biggest problem — besides its signature burned coffee — has always been the lack of savory treats available for a nosh. It’s difficult to spend six hours in a coffee shop working on your never-to-be-published novel or playing internet poker with only slabs of lemon poundcake or tiny packets of sweetened almonds for sustenance. Even just a bagel and packet of Philly cream cheese would have been enough.

In the midst of its ongoing financial woes and loss of market share, Starbucks has been groping about for any possible way to drive people back to the stores. Extended hours, pseudo-free wifi, no decaf after Noon and now, finally, savory sandwiches at almost all locations, with breakfast “value meals” that start today.

After tasting every piece of savory food on the menu, all I can ask is: “Dear God, Starbucks, why?!” Read the rest of this entry »

Ok, so they aren’t exactly the fireside chats, but Barack Obama’s weekly YouTube message has been a cool way for him to talk directly to the American people. It’s good to see the videos continue now that Obama is the President.

• Obama may be all about the bipartisan spirit, but the Republicans not so much.
• Prison riot outside Orlando!

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