Traveling the back alleys through Melbourne I was psyched with what a thriving street art scene I saw. I've enjoyed graffiti since I was youngster drawing goofy tags and silly characters in black books that was why it was cool to see so much in Melbourne. It seemed that you couldn't go down a dark street without coming across some piece of graffiti. The street artists, for the most part, in the area took their craft and responsibility very seriously and it showed considering how their pieces worked in the place they painted it . Unlike most graffiti you see where most graffiti consists of random bad bombing all over other people's horrible bombs, Melbourne featured a variety of characters, stencils, scenes, and styles that complemented each other and worked within the surrounding environment. Many people have issues with graffiti claiming that it's a criminal act in which shouldn't be considered art at all. I would argue that done in a creative manner in the right position (not on some mom and pop store window) it becomes a unique medium that can transform an outside canvas into a worthwhile artistic expression.

Here's a few different street artists that I really enjoy. Feel free to share if you have any favorites.

http://www.banksy.co.uk/ - A British street artist that does interesting politically charged stencils.

http://www.lost.art.br/osgemeos_01.htm - A pair of Brazilian artists that make quirky characters.

http://www.xmarkjenkinsx.com/outside.html - An installation street artists. makes dummies that really interact with their space.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_art - wikipedia site that has a good gallery and some other info and stuff

Lord Hobo & the Stones

On our recent overnight stay in Cambridge, this was the last stop before hitting 93 South and heading home the next day. Dimly lit with a red glow hitting the outside brick, we knew we had found Lord Hobo even with no sign visible to the eye. Greeted by a host holding back some very lush red velvet draperies, we entered into the very austere red and black dining room and took our seats at a minimalist designed raised table. We had read in 'The Dig' earlier that day that there was a Stone beer tasting going on (20 Different kinds on draught!) so although we usually get lost when driving in Boston, we found our way to this table with ease.

We decided on the charcuterie plate of the night, which consisted of foie gras, pheasant terrine, head cheese, and chicken liver pate, some tasty baguette, and a single cornichon (we were under the impression there would be more pickles and veg....), all for only $10! Because we were still hungry we also got an order of moules frites (which came with a tasty side of garlic aioli) which satisfied our hunger as we sipped on our flight of new Stone brews. As expected a few of the beers we tried struck chords in our taste buds...namely the 2009 Double Dry Hopped Double Bastard , Levitation Ale (hoppy, although wimpy abv. of 4.4%), and Arrogant Bastard aged in bourbon barrels. It's unbelievable how many different kinds of Arrogant Bastards exist out there! As for non-Stone choices, Green Flash hop head red and Lost Abbey devotion (belgian style pale ale) deliciously hit the spot while we waited for the truck that was carrying the other 10 kegs of Stone we hadn't tried to arrive.

STONE website

Beer Advocate Article on Event

Valentine's Day B-fast

Luke had to work this Valentine's Day, but I didn't put it past him to do something super special for me before he had to leave for the dinner shift at 4. I staggered downstairs with my eyes half open into the kitchen- where a dozen roses, a mimosa (or bottle of champagne just for me, rather), a plate of mango and kiwi, and a Lobster-Bacon-Asparagus eggs benny awaited me! Our first Valentine's Day together 2 years ago he made me a dinner with all of my favorite flavors of the moment (lamb, mint chutney,other deliciousness), so it's no surprise that he found a new way to incorporate all of my faves into some earlier fare for the occasion! I am one lucky lady, one dang full lucky lady.

Saving those bills $$$$$

Restaurant.com just may be my unexpected new best friend. Although limited in selection and quite standard, there are still some gems to be found amongst the mundane chains. Looking online the other day I found that the the gift certificates that were already cheap for we now going for 80% off the discounted price! Let's face it. Winter is cold. There is not much going on, and you want to be inside a heated building in which you are not paying the bill to heat. Quick fix: go out to eat. There are no winter blues that can combat the amazing effects of a few yummy cocktails and a tasty morsel at your disposal. So here's the booty i acquired during this amazing deal:

Rue De L'Espoir $25 G.C. for $2.50!

Julian's $25 G.C. for $3.00!

United BBQ $10 G.C. for $0.80!

Pho Paradise $10 G.C. for $0.80!

Total: $7.10

I swear I don't work for restaurant.com! This deal is just too awesome to pass up! There are also $50 G.C.'s for $4, so I may have to pay another visit before the deal expires!! 


*SIDENOTE- As Luke works in the food industry as a server, he offers another opinion about this crazy cheap madness. Many not-so-generous people out there do not tip well when leaving these printed out coupons, and the restaurants/servers miss out on a lot of cash money$$$$(Although he can't complain after a great night out using one of these coupons!) What can we say, it's a love hate thing..but totally worth it all the while.

"Megalopolis Snow" and some braised pork belly...

Expecting some crazy 20 inch snow storm that may force hibernation for days -we wanted some delicious comfort food that would keep us nice and full. So we decided to braise some pork belly. Full of luscious fat and some oh-so-tender swine, it seemed like the perfect food to keep us sustained and survive the upcoming blizzard of 2010. We had got the pork belly at the Pawtucket's winter farmer's market the week before and seemed like the perfect day to attempt to cook it since we thought there was going to be nothing to do (but go sledding).

We sit patiently, waiting hours for fat to render and snow to fall, all while sipping on some delicious '08 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. AH! Life is grand!

p.s. We only got 3 wimpy inches of snow, hardly enough to make driving difficult. Good thing our bellies were full of pork belly and apple/onion slaw, otherwise the meteorologists would have had a few more enemies to deal with.