Bookmobile

I'm working on a more serious, more lengthy post, but until I get that together here's a quick book recommendation: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. I read a glowing review of this book on a Harry Potter forum, of all places, and decided to check it out. I think it's the best new book I've read this year. On the surface, it's a book about a 15-year old autistic boy who is trying to figure out who killed his neighbor's dog. Of course, like all good books, there is much more to it than this. It's a quick and thought-provoking read: subtly funny, poignant, and devastating all at once. If you have a good head for math and numbers you'll enjoy it even more, as the book is packed with impossible math puzzles (but you don't have to understand them to read the book). As for me, I am becoming increasingly interested in the way human language develops (with a talkative two-year-old in the house, it's hard not to be) and this book brings up many interesting questions about the ways we learn to communicate with each other and the assumptions that we make.

Fidelity

Apropos of nothing, I really like the song Fidelity by Regina Spektor. It's kind of pop-y, and I hear it on the radio five times an hour, but I love it anyway. She has a sensational voice, but I think it's the pizzicato violin (or what sounds to me like pizzicato violin; I'm no expert) that sucks me in. The video is fantastic too, starting out in black-and-white and ending with handfuls of colored pixie dust (watch it here). Plus, I dig her black-and-white heels.

Oddly, even now, years after the New Kids on the Block debacle, I still feel somehow embarassed when I find myself liking a song that gets heavy radio play. Am I secretly a music snob? Why do I feel like I should have to work harder to find music I like?

Hey! You got your curry in my chocolate!

I recently watched a profile on Food Network about Vosges Haut-Chocolat in Chicago. Owner Katrina Markoff utilizes unusual and unexpected spices and flavorings to create exotic truffles, chocolate bars, and even ice cream. I was intrigued by the idea of combining things like olives, wasabi, or pink Himalayan salt with chocolate, but never expected to actually taste any of these crazy concoctions. Imagine my surpise when I stumbled upon a display of Vosges chocolate bars at my local Whole Foods. My first reaction was sticker shock. $7 for a chocolate bar? Inconceivable! But as I continued shopping I kept thinking about the chocolate, rationalizing that they were large-sized bars, and made with expensive ingredients, and surely I could afford just one?

So I went back to the display. The first bar that caught my eye was the Red Fire, made with chili peppers and cinnamon. However, I have already tasted similar flavors from both Moonstruck and Dagoba, so I decided to go with my second choice: the Naga bar, combining sweet Indian curry powder with tiny coconut flakes. I was alternately skeptical and fascinated when I finally got home and opened the bar. Inside, the chocolate was smooth and shiny with cute images of a girl with a shopping bag stamped onto the squares. I browsed the detailed "instructions" on the back of the box (which recommed savoring the chocolate using all five senses), closed my eyes, and took a bite.

Wow! I know it's a cliche to talk about having a party in my mouth, but the flavor was incredible. Sweet, salty, savory, and creamy all at once. I was impressed! I've tasted a lot of unusually flavored chocolates, (particularly in London, where all the sweets seemed to be made out of flowers) but this curry bar was the first one to really knock my socks off. If you get a chance you really must try this chocolate (and if you don't like it, send me the leftovers). I'm going to have to try the Black Pearl (that's the wasabi one) next.

Don't Panic!

I haven't had time to post a coherant, beautifully illustrated post in a while, which several of you have brought to my attention (love you guys, thanks for reading!). So, until I can put together something better, here's my random thought for today:

At my gym, the one strict rule is that you bring your own towel and keep it with you at all times. Because I'm a dork, this always makes me think of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Now if I could just figure out how to infuse my towel with nutrients, I'd be all set.

(towels courtesy of Bed, Bath and Beyond)