Support My Upper Lip...Errr...Literacy

The time has finally come, and now you can finally donate to my upper lip.  Clean shaven on February 15th, and furry through March.  Please show your support by clicking the image below.

On Mustaches

I have recently signed up for the 826 Boston Moustache-a-thon.  This is a six-week challenge to grow a mustache, with weekly weigh-ins all for charity.

There are, of course, two acceptable spellings for this lip hair: moustache, and mustache (though not according to my spell check).  I will be using both in this post.  Those who are looking for a little consistency in the spelling can suck it.

Starting next week I will be posting the link where I can be sponsored for this glorious attempt.  I got the official blessing of the wife, and registered my upper lip before she could change her mind about it.

I found (stole) the following chart online to assist me in selecting the exact style to go with.  Please let me know if you have a favorite.

Since pledging to do this, I have come across a multitude of mustache-related wonderment that I now need to share.

• The America Mustache Institute - Protecting the right of, and fighting discrimination against mustached Americans...
• Wikipedia link to Moustache - (yes, American's bastardized the spelling and took the 'o' out)
• Women With Mustaches
• Recent NYTimes article on the comeback of the mustache
• A list of top 10 mustaches
• Mustaches -vs- Cancer
• Fake Mustaches
• Wedding Mustaches

 I urge you to donate to 826 Boston, if not through my stellar lip hair, then directly through their site.

As the weeks go by, expect regular updates, including pictures.  Below is an example of the last time I grew a mustache.  It's creepy, I know.  I call this Midnight Produce Manager.  Enjoy.

South Boston Hunting Season

Each winter when the snow flies, residents of South Boston must move their cars to make way for the tradition of the parking space hunt and faking out passerby cars, all of them eagerly searching for parking within a one mile radius of home.  Thus begins the most hated of seasons - South Boston Hunting Season.

For those residents of South Boston not blessed with a parking spot of their very own, snow storms can be a time when hibernation is contemplated merely so the car does not have to be moved.  Picture folks roaming the shopping aisles with carts of pizza rolls and toilet paper, dragging their bags back home on sleds to avoid parking.

This past weekend as we rang in the new year, a storm came through, slow and steady, and dropped a moderate amount of snow on the city.  As a general rule, the City of Boston (headed by 5th-term Mumbles) allows space 'saving' for up to 48 hours after a storm.  I was unable to locate a more thorough explanation on CityofBoston.gov, but trust me - if you live in a neighborhood that utilizes this system, you will know.  There are always stories told about Person A taking Person B's 'saved' parking spot and having their tires slashed.  The truth, it turns out, can be much more fun.

So as you travel around in endless circles, wearing your tires bald around the block in hopes of finding that elusive legal parking spot, remember that you are a hunter.  As a hunter, you need to know your prey.  Though it may seem tempting, it is a waste of valuable energy to swear repeatedly at fire hydrants, crosswalks and driveways.  They are just decoys, meant to draw you in and keep you on the move.  They were there before the snow came and they will be there after it is all gone.

There are several classifications of parking spot camouflage.  Below are just a few in a list of endless examples.

Trash Can Camo

A normal parking spot can be quickly transformed with the central placement of a trashcan, either opening up or down.

Advantage:  City sanitation won't throw out an actual trash can.

Disadvantage:  Passerby just found a place for that bag of dog shit they're been carrying for two blocks.

Kitchen Camo

With the simple addition of a wooden chair, this parking spot is disguised as a kitchen.  A very, very, sad kitchen.

Advantage: Can also be used as a stool.

Disadvantage: Possibility of random hobos sitting in your space.

Storage Camo

Gives the immediate impression of actually being a tiny wheel-less car, then makes someone wonder if the car that goes into that spot may actually fit into the container.

Advantage: Functional and reusable.

Disadvantage: May also be filled with poop.

Patio Camo

This relaxing chair can be accompanied by several other chairs and a table to provide that card-game feel while still being functional in its space-saving ability.

Advantage: Lightweight and portable.

Disadvantage: Damn hobos.

Some old favorites:

The Beach: beach chair and cooler

Christmas Morning: full size tree, in stand (sans decorations)

The Remodel: two sawhorses with plywood/sheetrock covering the space

The Summer Vacation: tri-fold lawn chair and a full coil of hose on top

And the best of the year thus far: The King

Happy New Year

I'm not big on New Years resolutions normally.  I tend to keep them to myself, in case I don't keep them, which I rarely do.

I've been brainstorming some band names recently.  I do not have any musical experience and to be honest, no one wants to hear me sing or play an instrument.  Ever.  But what I can do is come up with a handful of good names that could soon be topping the charts.

Pink Raisin

Bacon Pudding

Blithering Geniuses

Big Pig Baby

Corsage Laser

PopSecret Agent

Lotion in the Well

Hotel Room Watercolors

The Blanket Humpers

Coppa

After months of waiting, Coppa has finally opened its doors.  I was lucky enough to find myself there just a few hours after they had announced they would be opening one day early, on Tuesday.

An unassuming little place in the South End, as I was begin seated, Chef/Partner Jamie Bissonnette throws me the sign of the horns while his wife Courtney, the General Manager, slings drinks from behind the bar while directing traffic and chatting up the bar customers.

I've been waiting for this for a bit.  Ken Oringer, Jamie and Courtney made Toro the best place in town for tapas, and I couldn't wait to see what they did with Italian.  I was especially excited about a rumor I'd heard that they were doing a bone marrow and oxtail pizza.  And, holy shit, The Blue Ribbon nearly slayed me. Braised oxtail, mozzarella, tomato, bone marrow, and horseradish tried to take me down in fatty, rich texture and flavor.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  We started off with the Buratta and bresoala, which were fresh and perfectly seasoned with sea salt.  Having sampled the cured meats Jamie was working on at Toro, I jumped right on the salumi section of the menu with the duck pastrami.  Smooth, smoky and perfectly sliced on the antique hand slicer behind the bar, this was the shit.

And the pizza.  Fucking hell.  Enough said.

The wine list is filled with some awesome italian stuff, but my favorite part of the drink list was the Pony Farm (5 Miller High Life 7oz bottles) and, of course, Schaefer in a can.

Good people, good eats, good atmosphere, good times.

If you've got an hour to kill and $20 in your pocket and don't want to have to shell out big bucks (which you won't anyway) to taste what Coppa has to offer, get a drink and a stuzi at the bar and call it good.

I can't wait to sample the rest of the menu and knock into the cocktail menu.  To give you a quick idea, the restaurant kicks as much ass as the website - Coppa.

Go.

Eat.

Enjoy.