Chatting with Kurt

Herring Fever

2007-07-27T11:19:00.000-07:00

I've spent the morning listening to the marvelous Ben Franklin in Paris starring Robert Preston, one of my favorite vocalists... period. Very underrated and simply grand.

I'm about to head over to Olson's on Pico to stock up on herring and whatnot. Their herring salad is perfect for these humid days, for the beet and apple have a lovely cooling effect on the body, and the herring affords you great energy through the proteins. Also might have a tiny bit of marzipan.

The album is coming along quite well. A few songs have been tossed out, replaced by stronger (and newer) tracks. Wrote three songs on my birthday (June 18th), and two of them will be represented. The working title is Antiquated.

Well, I must shovel off. Be well, all.

-- K

Drinking from a Mason Jar

2007-06-08T22:52:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm a faithful Mason Jar drinker. Everything tastes better in glass (or ceramic). Plus, with a Mason jar, you have a lid to keep everything contained. It ain't fancy, but it's functional and woodsy, and that sorta folksy appeal is quite popular in many eating establishments I have visited across the country.

Why should you shy away from your old standbys? Paper cups impart an odd flavor and odor that I have never appreciated, even when wax-dipped (ala' Dixie Cups). Metal cups can oftentimes get too cold, and then too warm when enough direct heat (from your hand or the sun) is applied. Plastic is, well... plastic. Plastic can never be cleaned 100%, and odors tend to linger in plastics forever. Wooden cups are alright, if you like the taste of wood (many do not, but it's great for Saki).

This weekend I sat in the patio with some just-picked strawberries, Meg Schwemp* and Mason jars filled with iced tea for each of us. The tea was chillingly cold, and it took the sting off of the late evening heat. The glass refreshed my reaching fingers as much as it soothed thy lips. When I placed the jar down, there was that friendly clink as it touched concrete. The world felt so right in that simple exchange between me, a 70s songstress and perfectly-housed cold beverage.

Go Mason and you'll get a drink as God intended it to be.

*More about this weekend later. I promise!

A Song in My Heart

2007-06-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

Well, gang, the weather has been picture perfect these last few days. Got another squash blossom in and the breezes are mild. What's not to be happy about?

I just procured a mint copy of the Stan Boreson Trio's "I Love Seattle" / "Grateful Message" (Pledge of Allegiance). It's yellow vinyl. My daddy gave me a copy as a child, and the 45 RPM was always so dear to my heart. Somewhere along the line, I lost my original copy... so this new one is a welcome addition back into the fold.

Though it's scarcely a huge favorite in most American households, I adore chicken gizzards. My lunch for today features gizzards cooked down in a rich tomato sauce, which will then be tossed with fresh pasta. Topped with chopped chives (fresh from the garden, of course), I can't imagine anything that would better compliment this Thursday.

Speaking of noodles, the Old Spaghetti Factory in Hollywood will be closed down in two weeks. I personally recall it as the place where I had a foot-long hair in my Mizithra and brown butter pasta... but it also has deeper meaning. That's where the Cauliflower Alley Club had their weekly meetings for years. CAC founder Mike Mazurki, Maria Bernardi, Gene LeBell, Count Billy Varga and others really tore that place up. With the closing, a chapter of Los Angeles and wrestling history ends. So I'm going to take a few snapshots to remember the old girl before she goes off to eternal pasture.

My old friend Meg Schwemp, famous for the hit "Love in the Living Room," will be visiting this weekend for an old-time pluck and jam session. She still has it, for the record, and I could easily see her having a comeback. He new material is more modern than you ever would imagine.

Be well, my friends.

Back Here... Again

2007-06-06T09:59:00.000-07:00

Note: This message is technically from yesterday... but I figured you wouldn't complain, considering my last post here was two years ago.
The past few days have been sad, uplifting, glorious and confusing. Then again, is anything less expected in my life?

First off, the wrestling world lost Portland icon Sandy Barr. Sandy was the main referee for promoter Don Owen when I watched Portland Wrestling/Big Time Wrestling, and would occasionally don the tights. He was a big part of what made me love Northwest wrestling.
I spoke with a few of Sandy's friends and wrestling brothers this weekend. All shared stories with me. This gave me a chance to hunker down with my old pal Playboy Buddy Rose for a time. It's sad that it takes something like a death to bring folks back together... but it certainly was fun chatting with Buddy again. It has been a while.

Buddy has his biography coming out later this summer, written by Matt Farmer. I know it will be sensational. Copies will be sold at Wrestle Fan Fest at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, October 18-21. Suffice to say I will be there, and I hope you will be, too.

Speaking of wrestling, Percy Pringle III's Gulf South Wrestling has closed down. In its place is Percy Pringle Promotions. Why was this done? Friends, everything has a reason... and this is all for the best, I can assure you of it.

Got a huge pile of vinyl this weekend. No matter what changes take place, I will never stop listening to my LPs. They are worth keeping folks, for the sound quality cannot be topped! New members of my hit parade: Samantha Sang, Nicolette Larson, Freddie Hart and others. And I got a sparkling copy of Melissa Manchester's solo debut. My word... she's just sensational. I have long regarded "Midnight Blue" as one of the great modern pop songs.

New summer albums of note: the return of Nick Lowe with At My Age. Nick is one of my total faves, and you can hear samples of this soon-to-be-released gem. The latest from Maroon 5, It Won't Be Soon Before Long, in my estimation will yield the biggest hits of the summer. I have a love-hate relationship with Rufus Wainwright, but I will plug his new album, Release the Stars, because real talent cannot be denied.

Okay, friends... I need to eat some eggs. Be well.

My Modest Diet

2005-05-11T23:06:00.000-07:00

Let's stress the word MODEST. I still sit back and enjoy good food when the mood strikes, and that's usually on the weekends, when I can walk it all off. The rest of the time, however, I have been curtailing my bad eating habits, replacing them with smaller portions and smarter choices.

I weighed in a week and a half ago and wasn't pleased with the results. It's not crazy -- I'm only 15 pounds over my ideal weight -- but it was enough to raise red flags in my brain. It's remarkable what that little bit of extra matter can do to a person, and I just won't sit back and let it linger.

I will keep you all posted on my progress.

Long Time... No Hear

2005-05-10T21:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have been a bad boy. These last few months have seen me visit the grave of Plowboy Stan Frazier, hang out with Percival Pringle III on his home turf, and go through the rigors that the Cauliflower Alley Club brings every year. It's a lot of stuff... and most of it is great conversation. But I just ain't had the gumption to write about it lately. That tune will change, hopefully, in the near future. Until that time, hoever, all you can do is wait... and dream.

-- Kurtie

This Don't Feel Like Winter!

2005-01-24T21:47:00.000-08:00

Yes, the weather down here has been pretty darn warm as of late, and it's quite an abrupt change from the rain storms we had just a scant two weeks ago. Now it's like summer... one month into the winter. I walk outside and need to wear shorts and sandals instead of the heavy wool garments I have set aside for the season. My head's all askew.

When I speak to my friends back East I feel a sharp sense of guilt, for they are dealing with snow and frigid temperatures as I sip Greyhounds on the veranda. But it's just the way things are, and everybody knows California going to plummet into the Pacific any day now. Every area has its faults.

At any rate, I'm going to enjoy my "winter" as long as I can before the clouds come back again. And if you care to come over for a visit, the pool's clean, the BBQ is on and there's lot of beer.

I Enjoy My Beer

2005-01-21T21:57:00.000-08:00

I purchased several types of European beers tonight at a local store. The variety is quite large, and I can't wait to stick my head into all of it this weekend. It's the Danish in me, I suppose, and the cold weather is asking me to match my new purchase up with the Aquavit I store in the freezer. Why argue with a suggestion like that?

There are just two weeks left in this, National Soup Month. This weekend, along with my beer, I plan on preparing a few soups for consumption all week long. There will be a beef-based broth chock full of root vegetables mixed with fresh thyme, and I'll pick up some fish scraps tomorrow for a hearty stew with celery root and cream.

With some toasted bread and a light salad (I like Belgian endive with watercress or paper-thin fennel, by the way), I think I've got the cure for the wintertime blues.

This is LIVING!

Funny How That Happens..

2005-01-20T22:53:00.000-08:00

At the end of this month there will be an event called Wrestle Reunion in Tampa, Florida featuring some of the biggest stars that ever graced the squared circle. My friends Playboy Buddy Rose and Ed "Col. DeBeers" Wiskoski will be in that event, too. I'm not sure if the thing is going to be a success or not, but I'm glad so many wrestlers are getting such a nice payday.

It's funny how things all tie in sometimes. I watched my first wrestling match in 1978 when I lived in the San Francisco area, and that match featured Playboy Buddy Rose. When I wrestled, I had a pair of black boots made, which I have since sold to Buddy Rose, and he'll be wearing these very boots at Wrestle Reunion in perhaps the last major match of his career. Likewise, Ed will be wearing a pair of Col. DeBeers trunks that he gave me for some work I did for him.

I don't know what all of this means, but I hope my friends enjoy themselves in Florida, visiting with their contemporaries.

Well, It's Time I Start Talking

2005-01-20T22:20:00.000-08:00

Hello, my friends. I think you all will like my little Blog once I've got the ol' ball rolling. I attempted a faux Blog years ago, during the heady late 1990s, but found the HTML style of doing it impractical. You could call me a poineer if you want, but I wouldn't be offended if you didn't.

At any rate, I'm here to share my thoughts with y'all. But now there's nothing on my mind.

More later.

-- Kurtie