(Almost) Free Art

Every spring my good friend Makoto, his brother Vasco, and their friends, spend a few weeks in southern Chile surfing their collective brains out.  When I saw this photo of Vasco emerging from the water with the sunset illuminating a perfect, feathering lip, I started begging Makoto to send me a copy.  I forced the issue when ms. pix and I spent the afternoon at Makoto's house making what we all agreed were the world's best fish tacos.  Makoto printed out the shot as well as another shot of him pulling into an inviting barrel.  Even at a 12x16 size, the detail and colors are amazing (the Canon 5D helps).  Picked up a pair of rustic wood frames at Pottery Barn for under $90 bones.  Presto - instant art on the cheap.  The shots of the brothers Agnoli in surfing nirvana look great in my bedroom.  Next year I'm in.

Rub it Out

Paul and Jolie were up from L.A. over the weekend for Nancye's 40th at Town Hall on Saturday night.  I lobbied ms pix all week to allow me to attempt the Smoked Ribs with California Dry Rub recipe from Tyler Florence.  Got the sign-off Friday afternoon.  Hit Tower Market for Trumer, spices and 3 huge racks of baby back pork ribs. The prep was incredibly easy.  To achieve the proper heat and smoke, I placed the soaked apple wood chips in a large aluminum baking pan between the heat and the ribs.  With only the center burner on low, I was able to keep the temperature around 210 degrees.  Grill time was roughly 2 hours and 15 minutes.  Let 'em sit for 20 minutes under foil before serving.  Ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender and the dry rub was spicy and tangy.  Paul liked the fact that the dry rub meant only 2 napkins instead of 10.  Vic, Suchi and Geck brought additional beer and bubbly.  Neighbors Julian and Alice dropped by late night to help us finish off the 3rd rack.  All and all, a successful meal.

Asset Management: Shaving

Face it: Shaving sucks.  It's time-consuming and rough on the mug.  Some guys are lucky enough to be able to grow respectable facial hair.  After 3 or 4 days, my stubble just looks silly. I've tried just about every shaving gel, lotion, foam, etc..., and they've all left something to be desired.  Until now. Tagging along with ms pix to Perch in Glen Park the other day, I noticed the Baxter of California skincare and shaving products.  Zoel, the owner, pronounced it the best shaving cream he had tried.  I have to agree.  Close and COMFORTABLE shave.  Something to do with the formula providing a barrier between face and razor.  At $16 (10 OZ) it's not cheap, but by no means outrageous. Plus it takes very little of the stuff to do the job.  Also iked the samples of face scrub, face wash, after-shave balm and skin lotion Zoel tossed in for good measure.  So while shaving still sucks, it's gotten measurably better. And hey, at least I don't have to wax...

Friday I'm in Love

ms. pix was having a rough week. How to make a girl forget her cares for a while? Flowers or a good candle works. But if you want to step your game up, I suggest perfume. Saw the Balenciaga ad in VF featuring the talented and beautiful Charlotte Gainsbourg. Apparently I made a good choice. The next morning I had my latte waiting in the kitchen. The right gift with the right woman comes back to a gentleman in spades...

Balenciaga Eau De Parfum 75ml $130