Librari[d]an

Check out this video of a guy that made his own roller coaster. I prefer mine in amusement parks that have a large staff, deep pockets, and hefty insurance policies, although I guess that doesn’t make for much of a thrill ride.

Now all I have to do is coerce my friends (specifically Brian) into going to Kennywood with me. I haven’t been there since the Spaniards took it over, and would like to make sure it has retained its Western Pennsylvanian integrity. For those of you not familiar with Kennywood, it’s an amusement park with several excellent roller coasters (The Racer, Jack Rabbit, Thunderbolt, and Steel Phantom/Phantom’s Revenge) that are renowned for exploiting the park’s natural topography (hills, gullies, etc.) to great effect.

…seriously warped my brain as a kid. From my second favorite Batman movie (Batman Returns), my favorite Batman villainess (Pfeiffer’s Catwoman):

Skin-tight black rubber and wet silicone? Uf!

This 1909 design for Pitt’s campus, inspired by the acropoleis of antiquity, is remarkably beautiful, as you can see from this huge photo from Pitt’s digital library. (Not a joke, click for amazing architectural hugeness.)

They only completed four of the buildings from the plan: Thaw Hall, Pennsylvania Hall, State Hall, and the Mineral Industries Building. I believe only Thaw and Mineral Industries are still extant. However, the latter is relatively hidden (and possibly renamed) while the former has been mutilated beyond recognition. The plan was abandoned because the new chancellor wanted a massive, phallic Cathedral of Learning instead. (What a nimrod!) Check out more Pitt acropolis-related photos here.

I had hoped to make a lengthy, uber-informative post about this missed opportunity, but don’t think I’ll get around to it. So here is a limerick I composed instead!

The Belated Lament for Messieurs P&H

Back in the day,
in Pittsburgh, PA,
before the Cathedral of Learning,
Palmer and Hornbostel
designed halls ‘n’ hostels;
their élan - fo’ sho’ - it was burning.

To be placed in Pittsburgh’s metropolis,
they fashioned a Greco-Roman acropolis,
four buildings, completed,
then their project, defeated,
the abandonment sure was dolorous. =(

Bibliography:
University of Pittsburgh Digital Research Library. Full Record for University of Pittsburgh Archives (ASC): ACRP01.UA. Univeristy of Pittsburgh. 2 June 2008.

Being anonymous is one of the pleasures of city life, and I’ve been rediscovering it Downtown, in the Strip, on the NorthSide, and increasingly in Lawrenceville of late. It’s one of those Pittsburgh neighborhoods in which the people, at large and who I know, are wholly unconnected with libraries, the University, and most of my day to day concerns. It’s an escape from habit; my routine has been giving me the blues.

The garish yet strangely charming Coca Café. They have an interesting, if not particularly vegetarian or vegan friendly, brunch menu. Be sure to get a tall glass of their delicious, pulpy, fresh-squeezed orange juice.

Piccolo Forno’s exterior. The food and ambiance are acceptable. However, their summation is certainly not enough to offset the pricey menu, brusque waitstaff, and loud-as-hell open kitchen.

There’s something about Lawrenceville that really speaks to me, and I don’t think it’s that the neighborhood is on the upswing thanks to that Main Street Project. It’s the river - the Allegheny - being in such close proximity to industrial and residential spaces. Empty, decrepit places. Structures forgotten by time, ruined, passed over by most house-flippers. Whether on foot or by bicycle, I can’t haunt these back streets enough.

Oh. I planted some daylilies today in my front yard. We’ll see if they take.

In the new Indiana Jones movie, the titular hero tells his students to “get out of the library”. A humbug on you, Dr. Jones! I looked you up in Scopus and nobody cites your work. I cross-referenced the journals you’ve published in in Ulrich’s and none of them are peer reviewed… or indexed! I’ve pulled up their impact factors in Web of Science and their scores are the pits!

Sarah Jessica Parker’s library-related advice to Sex and the City/Carrie Bradshaw devotees? It’s quite a bit more practical. Find it in this video at 2:44:

Sage words, madame; I salute you. Special thanks to Siobhan and Jeff for the heads-up.

:: Bibliography ::

Ryzik, Melena. UrbanEye: Sex and the City. New York Times. http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=1a94f19eaf6d603d17278a602a1e53103ef45184 (31 May 2008).

Finally, a recipe worthy of the title “obscene cuisine”! Who would have ever though that black beans and brownies would go well together? Spoilers: Ania Catalano (below). Leave it to those eye-talians to innovate in the kitchen as well as the bicycle shop. (One more reason I reside in Pgh’s little Italy, heh.)

Now I have a confession to make… I don’t like brownies. Whether swirled with peanut butter, made into blondies, chock-full of delicious nuts, or just plain out of a box, I have never ever enjoyed them. I think it’s because my Mom was a brownie fiend. (The same thing happened with Oreos. Mom loves ‘em, [d]an detests ‘em.) So when I came across this recipe thanks to that vixen over at 101 Cookbooks - that would be Heidi Swanson (also below) - I figured, “Why not?” It’s not like I would be horrified at the corruption of my favorite baked good.

Strange side note, is anyone else freaked out that Ania and Heidi are kinda sexy? Where are the dumpy frumpmaster cooks and bakers, like my home economics teacher Mrs. Crumb? (Not a joke. That’s really her name.)

Catalano (left) and Swanson (right). Smokin’. (Ten Speed Press, Swanson)

Back on track, I give you my variation on Signora Catalano’s “Amazing Black Bean Brownies”:

:: Almond Black Bean Brownies ::

4 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 cup butter
2 cups black beans, drained
1 cup almonds (one half chopped, one half whole)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ cup instant coffee
¼ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1½ cups honey

1. In your microwave, melt the butter and chocolate. Use a middle-ish power level, and check several times to stir and make sure things don’t get burnt.
2. In a food processor, blend the beans, 1/2 cup chopped almonds, vanilla extract, and several spoonfuls of the chocolate/butter mixture until it’s smooth (approx 2 min).
3. In a large bowl, mix the whole almonds, remaining chocolate/butter mixture, instant coffee, and salt.
4. In yet another bowl (!) use an electric mixer to beat the eggs for about a minute. Add the honey and beat again.
5. Add the chocolate/bean mixture (from the food processor) to the chocolate/coffee. Stir to blend.
6. Now things get fancy: “Add the egg mixture, reserving about 1/2 cup. Mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan [cooking spray, holler!]. Using an electric mixer, beat the remaining 1/2 cup egg mixture until light and fluffy. Drizzle over the brownie batter. Use a wooden toothpick to pull the egg mixture through the batter, creating a marbled effect.” (Swanson)
7. Bake for 30 - 40 min in an oven preheated to 325 degrees F, until they are set. Let them cool, then cover and refrigerate for several hours; this firms them up. Cut before serving.

They turned out well, although they did take significantly longer than 40 min to bake in my oven. (After 50 min I bumped the heat up to 350 degrees, moved them to the top rack, and still had to leave them in there for a good while.) I have to admit that I’m not sure I’d make them again; they’re too rich, too brownie-ish, and there’s something slightly strange about the texture and taste (at least to my palate). If there’s a next time I might cut the vanilla in half and replace the other with amaretto for a bolder almond flavor. Hopefully I’ll be bringing these to the season finale of Lost tonight at Brian and Liz’s. I’m feeling a bit under the weather as of now.

Update (31 May 2008): Everyone liked them. It’s just me still not liking brownies. Disregard my negative comments.

:: Bibliography ::

• Catalano, Ania. Baking with Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature’s Ultimate Sweetener. Berkeley: Celestial Arts, 2008.
• Swanson, Heidi. Amazing Black Bean Brownies Recipe. 101 Cookbooks. http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/amazing-black-bean-brownies-recipe.html (29 May 2008).
• Ten Speed Press. Ania Catalano. Ten Speed Press. http://www.tenspeed.com/authors/view.html?id=1651 (29 May 2008).

Jen and I were entranced by this shimmering pillar the other day, and I fumbled to get a good shot of it. We were amazed not only by the time and money required to craft a Stanley Cup out of aluminum foil, but also the highly public place of exhibition–Route 51.

I have to agree with Jen, “the tin-foil cup makes even more sense slightly out of focus”. According to Gary from the mail room the Pens still have a chance at the Cup, but just a slim one. They need to win 4 of the next 5 games. Bonne chance, mes amis!