America, Plus 1

This line is nuts! originally uploaded by bfgreen.

When Uncle Sam said, "I Want You!', was this the person he meant?

No High Heels, Please

Nicole's article about noisy neighbors finally saw the light of day at the SF Chronicle, and it's better than even we remember it, whenever the heck that was. Our fact-checkers and librarians are off for the holiday so we can't be sure, but careful readers will find a clue that it has been at least 5 months since this baby was submitted.

Fortunately (or unfortunately, as the case may be) this particular problem is timeless, so the Chron could have waited until next New Year's Eve to print it. Even as the lives which play out in apartments change the apartments themselves remain unaltered windows -- make that sound tunnels -- to other people's worlds.

I once lived in a tiny SoHo apartment, an illegal sublet, which made me even more self-conscious about rousting neighbors who may have been in a position to scotch my sweet deal. And in a perverse reversal of the power dynamic Nicole beautifully describes, it was my downstairs neighbor who held sway.

I was religious in my aversion to making noise. I listened to no music. I watched TV from about 2 feet away (it was a small apartmet, anyway). I never wore shoes indoors and, unlike Nicole, didn't have to make any compromises about not even wearing high heels. I had no pets. For a long time, it was me and only me who lived there.

All was well, for months. But I worked late often and often stayed out even later and one night I came home to find in the stairwell (it was a 6-storey walkup) the daughter of the apartment below making out with a guy from the hood. It was about 3 a.m. Days later I ran into mom, who excoriated me for making noise all the time. I was dumbfounded (more than usual), inviting her by default to elaborate. Her daughter couldn't sleep and was missing school (or work, I forget) because of all of my damn noise keeping her up.

Still dumbfounded, we parted with me mumbling something about being sorry and not making noise anymore (remember, I was there on borrowed time). Then it dawned on me: daughter was staying out late, making out with guys, and mom knew nothing about it. When cornered about not being able to wake up in the morning, lack of sleep from the noisy upstairs neighbor became a convenient and believable explanation, assuming (as I did) mom was a heavy sleeper or hard of hearing (remember, she complained on behalf of her daughter, never herself).

We managed an uneasy truce, me and the old lady downstairs (I usually kill with old ladies), but she exacted some evil revenge on the day I moved out. She reported it to the landlord, who then was able to confront the legitimate tenant from whom I was subletting, blowing his cover.

Wait -- this wasn't all about Nicole? My bad.

Let Him Eat Cake

 

The #1 food blog of the moment isn't cucinanicolina (but see how I worked that in): It's Perambulare. What?

Samer's homage to single guys who want cake for one in 10 minutes or less got his blog about 6k page views when it was Stumbledupon.

We're not sure of Perambulare's demographic, but here is a sampling of the comments on this post:

Mme70 (02:03:03) :
Oh. My. God. I’m telling EVERYbody how you are my hero!

helen (15:34:17) :
I just moved to Austria from the US for a semester abroad. My dorm room doesn’t have a kitchen, only a stove and microwave, and I’ve been frustrated by the lack of familiar ingredients with which to make even non-baked desserts. I’m a compulsive baker, and the lack was killing me. Thank you! I’m going to try this tomorrow. You may have saved me.

nicole (19:00:17) :
Gorgeous photo, as always … and I must admit this looks intriguing. Now, if only I had a microwave!!

---

Not my call, Samer, but I would thank mom, keep up with Helen and watch my back with that Nicole chick.

Samer Keeps Underfed Supermodels in his Basement for Porn

I only scanned the POV blog at NPR entitled Outside the Frame: Food Porn, but that seems to be the sad upshot about Samer and his once promising interest in photography.

While images like this are interesting — and even beautiful — I love food too much to see it treated like an underfed supermodel, contorting for the camera.

Then there is this other obvious plea for help:

And, of course, there's chocolate. After all, says Flickr user Samer Farha: "Chocolate sells. Maybe more than sex does."

We hope blogger Amanda Hirsch decides to violate a basic tenet of journalism and reveal the secure and undisclosed location Samer is keeping his "models," like the poor, emaciated thing depicted above.

Samer Slides. At Least There Was Cake.

We complimented Samer on his rock-solid blog post about his 10-minute cake recipe experiments (featured on tastespotting.com, mind you!)

And then he goes and writes this:

"Do do do, da da da. That is all I have to say to you."

Thanksgiving is Coming Up?

We won't be cooking this year, as our tiny kitchen this year is even tinier than Nicole's, and stocked with fewer essentials than she carries on a backpacking expedition.

But, if we were going to spend any time playing with fire indoors, we would probably make every single thing on her NPR menu, and nothing else.

Plan "A," of course, remains "just happened to be in the neighborhood." We'll bring a hearty appetite. No hurry on the dishes. Would lavender flowers help?

Taking Pictures While Black

It was only 12 hours after election day, Mike writes on Facebook with some irony, that he was profiled in his own neighborhood while photographing "things that remind me how blessed I am."

Somebody called the cops on Mike -- and, for good measure, emailed them (very web 2.0 racists in North Carolina) -- to report a "suspicious black man" prowling around with a camera under the cover of the noon-day sun.

Before we knew the full story PeepsNet asked if Mike if had run afoul of a Charlotte, NC law about taking out the garbage while black.

taking photos of fall foliage while black, actually. That album called I GOT A GOOD LIFE, MAN? Somebody called the police on me while I was out in my neighborhood taking them. Then sent an email to the neighborhood crime watch saying be on the lookout for SUSPICIOUS BLACK MAN.

The collection of nature photographs in his lovely neighborhood does include a house or two that I suppose he could have been casing from what I'd estimate to be about Google Earth distances. And, of course cameras have been mistaken for lethal weapons -- in Iraq!

Mike is taking it in stride -- he is not quiet Mike for nothing. But he does note the surreality of it all.

It was just very ironic, mostly. I hadn't forgotten where I was, but at the same time, I thought I'd get a little longer to 'feel the joy.' Eh....s'all good, though. The experience actually made the photos more 'subversive' as my friend John says. They have another level of meaning for me now.

We wonder why a truly subversive photographer of our acquaintance has never been wrestled to the ground by alert law enforcement officers. Oh, the injustice of it all.

Nicole and Kate

Nicole and Kate originally uploaded by Samer Farha.

Another party we weren't invited to. Fortunately iPeepsNet correspondent Samer was there to capture the action (and avoid picking up the check, we hope.)

In the Hills

In the Hills originally uploaded by Samer Farha.

We admit -- we've been very remiss. Maybe we were wrong to outsource our newsroom to Bangalore but with the extra coin we were able to rent this clown BoBo and really underestimated the creepiness.

Samer's excellent adventure was noted if not well recorded, an oversight we hope to rectify somewhat by advising our readers to check out, at the very least, his China collection.

Once you visit, of course, we predict you won't want to leave.

Nicole @ 30

hello originally uploaded by nicspir.

The peepsNet team wishes you well on this marvelous day.

Wilderness Nicole

We have it good authority that Nicole is goin' camping for a few days next week. We sure hope you know what you're is doing; even under the best of circumstances spending days in the wild requires careful planning because you have to carry all your own food. Forget about the edible plants manual -- one sticky page and you'll end up like that "Into the Wild" guy.

Listen -- you are going to get tired of dehydrated macaroni and cheese in about 15 minutes. And you will also need to figure out some way to pass the time in what will otherwise be a repetitive slog through natural beauty, star-studded night skies and the kind of silence you cannot even imagine and are unable to adequately describe.

Here's a thought -- how about some wilderness gourmet cooking! Your welcome!

We know you are too busy so we've done some research on your behalf (we flatter ourselves that you are reading this. Maybe Samer will tell you about it) and found this incredibly thorough, perfectly-time article on NPR.

In it some chick in SF writes all about the things you will need to know. We are sure your comfort level will increase just by reading this:

Escaping into the wilderness doesn't have to mean leaving good food behind. A little preparation before hitting the trail makes dishes like penne pasta with vegetables a cinch.

Boy, this girl really does know her trailmix. Witness:

Years of backpacking in various parts of the United States have taught me that while a box of organic macaroni and cheese is easy to prepare after a long day of lugging a heavy pack up and down mountains, it's not nearly as satisfying as quinoa chowder or fresh vegetables roasted over a fire.

These days my pack is filled with a small container of olive oil, dried herbs, salt and pepper and fresh fruit rather than packets of dehydrated beans and rice or bags of quick-cooking oatmeal flavored with desiccated strawberries.

Our pack would contain 3 GPS units, a sat phone and Glock 19 -- you can get lots of food and even have it prepared and served to you with a Glock - but that's just us.

We have to admit we really didn't read the article too closely or bother to Google the author, whose name escapes me, but it's on the internet and must be true. Anyway there's a nifty companion podcast where the incredibly well-prepared author lays it all out in a way even we can understand. We were captivated.

So, Nicole, do your homework (your welcome!) -- and be safe! No Lord of the Flies stuff, OK!

Samer's Adventure Begins in Mere Minutes

Samer tweets that he is through IAD security and has had a hearty breakfast "but I'll probably regret the mountain of cheese and bacon once airborne." So might you seat mates, mate.

The Boy Wonder will arrive in Tokyo tomorrow afternoon after a flight scheduled to take about 14 hours. His big regret seems to be that he won't be able to drink a caipirinha "for a good long time. My guess is I won't even be at a bar that has cachaça until at least Germany."

We'll be tracking his flight in real time at flightstats.com.

We're happy for the lad to have this dream assignment (engineer at the Bejing Olympics) and for his dexterity in creating a travel itinerary around it. But I have a dilemma. Who am I going to ask random questions at strange hours about astronomy, mechanical engineering, Apple shortcuts, unix programming and cookery? Well, as least I have a reliable source for that last one a much more manageable three time zones away.

Feeling lucky, punk?

Feeling lucky, punk? originally uploaded by John C Abell.

Yes, sir, Mr. Farha sir.

Occasionally, very accurate. Wonder who he was thinking of during those shots ...

Our Prayers Have Been Answered

23,501 originally uploaded by Samer Farha.

That meat blog thing was sort of OK, I guess, but we asked for it (two years ago) and now we have it:

Samer is blogging for real again.

The reason? Boy Wonder is about to embark on a trip of 23,501 miles that begins with one step. Work beckons him to the Beijing Olympic Games and he's making about 47 pre-, post and side trips.

The itinerary:

• Tokyo
• Hong Kong
• Beijing
• Dubai
• Beirut
• Frankfurt
• Berlin
• Brussels
• London
• Reykjavik

And Samer has procured exactly what a young, single man passing through so many port of call needs ....

A telephoto lens. What did you think?

Decisions, Decisions ...

Wondering what the comments would be like if Samer had switched captions on these two recent shots.

Walking Past
Originally uploaded by Samer Farha

Stacked
Originally uploaded by Samer Farha

Feta Attraction

She likes feta, but it wasn't always thus.

Nicole has classed it up again for another piece at NPR in which she confesses that she was not always a fan of the cheese of her homeland. Apparently there was some kind of unfortunate childhood event which scarred her but not for life, because some years later when faced with starvation or stinky cheese the latter won out with minimal hysteria. Hey Nicole -- she likes it!

PeepsNet can relate. For us, consternation took the form of the black, wrinkly olives of our homeland. Not that we ever liked those bland California varieties one buys in -- yuck -- cans. But green was our valley, and pitted, and perhaps stuffed with garlic or bleu cheese. This, of course, reduced green olives to garlic or blue cheese delivery systems, which obscured the underlying flavor. And, it must be said, those little green guys with pimento that so perfectly augment the martini experience are an entirely different subject.

But we digress. It was not until late in life that I appreciated the Kalamata the way Nicole came to accept feta. And, as I recall, it was in circumstances somewhat beyond my control, as with Nicole, that I was confronted with the dilemma slash opportunity to re-evaluate a childhood aversion to a food so easily made friends with.

Hmmm ... this has veered twice now from the subject at hand.

Nicole's excellent tale of self discovery is here. Don't forget to listen to the podcast (WE think she was extremely well prepared).

Who Says I'm Not a Morning Person?

Who Says I'm Not a Morning Person? originally uploaded by John C Abell.

Kids: this is why you don't want a career in journalism. Stay in school, just say 'no' to drugs, skip the cigarettes or break the habit clean.

Wait, that's what I did ... OK -- you're on your own.

Katy Breezes Through DC

San Francisco Guests originally uploaded by Samer Farha.

Miss Katy was in town, and we were unable to attend, sadly. Besides the fun of seeing her and having a relaxed drink with friends we see all-too infrequently we would have wanted to ask what the story is behind those ginormous pearls. Really, are those from the Wilma Flintstone collection?

Word is that the newly-restored Reuters employee was on her way to the OBX for a little R&R, although we don't hear much of people going there for the summer. (note to self: search the interwebs to find out where I can get one of those extremely rare bumper OBX stickers).

Samer got this candid, which enabled peepsNet to have two sequential posts with Katy sitting at a table in a restaurant -- hey, that's almost enough to start a flickr group!

We don't know who that good-looking guy at Katy's elbow is, because, while Samer is a passable photographer he is a terrible reporter. This is why you haven't received dime-one in peepsNet stringer fees yet, dude.

West Coast Peeps Convention

Dinner at NOPA was fantastic. Lots of "remember when" stuff. Fortunately it was dark inside this fascist eatery best known for a $12 burger so nobody could see peepsNet cry. Even if, we'd blame the gin. Or even the memory of the absinthe.

Katy seemed remarkably unaffected by her return to the Baron's fold. Everything is better in San Francisco, I guess.

Nicole doesn't like photographers. Or at least a guy with an iPhone in her face. Funny tude from someone who was bitten by the shutter bug (niiiiiice) recently.

Live and let live, baby!

Speaking of Photography ...

Sometimes, she just loves the blur
Originally uploaded by nicspir

... And the need to balance coverage between the Twin Peeps: Nicole has a new camera which she has been prone to call the "camera of gloriousness." Yes, she's in love and she's not ashamed to admit it.

Here's a flickr slideshow from their first vacation together as a couple.