In One Nostril. Out the Other

I'm not much on you-tubing, passing on funny stuff, or the internet in general. But I gotta pass this on from my buddy Jay Brooks. As he says, once the image is in your head, it ain't goin' nowhere. It's at Jay's blog as an entry for January 8th titled "Rhinodrinking." But here's a direct link to the video. After I watched it, I googled the "idea" and discovered there are entirely too many people in the world with too much beer and time on their hands. Warning: do NOT watch while ingesting liquids.

Beer and Chocolate -- Ancient Companions

Okay, so we already know that some beer styles are sublime when consumed with chocolate. Turns out the connection is older than we knew! A piece in today's New York Times reports on new archaeological research about fermented cacoa in Mesoamerica.

Addendum two days later: As usual, Jay Brooks and Stan Hieronymus are MILES ahead of me on this. Check out their takes and links to lots more info. Stan is here. Jay is here. What's NOT to love about those guys????? (Answer: Not much. They're two of my favorite people.)

New Cartoon Collections on DVD

If you're my age (54), you probably grew up watching cartoons and developed an appreciation for and love of high-quality animation. Rejoice! There are some new collections out on DVD. There's also a first-rate round-up of what's available in today's "Critic's Choice" column in the New York Times.

(Tip for the day: every Tuesday, this Times column reviews new DVD releases, focusing on the off-beat, unexpected, and non-bestseller stuff. Great way to build your collection.)

Music and Drinking

Okay, in a million years I would not have thought of or about this. But now I have, and I must say: the human brain never ceases to amaze me. Start here with W. Blake Gray's piece in the San Francisco Chronicle. Then read Stan Hieronymus's take on the topic. I love knowing that Vinnie Cilurzo is a believer (and that his dad loved Sinatra). It's, well, just too marvelous. Too marvelous for words. Etc.

Who Knew? The Poop on the World Toilet Summit

In my former life -- okay, one of my former lives -- I wrote a book about plumbing, and the subject still intrigues me. So imagine my delight: A World Toilet Summit. In New Delhi, no less. (God, I'd love to know the number of flush toilets per capita in that city!). My virtual pal Dave Praeger is there, no surprise, and, even less surprising, is blogging about the event. All kidding aside, it's a serious subject and I love that someone besides me thinks so.

Sustainable Food Survey

The folks at The Splendid Table are conducting a survey of people's concerns about and interest in sustainable foods. You may already have a strong opinion about this. You may not have any opinion. But the survey is worth taking if only because it forces the issue: by which I mean, you'll find out real fast just how much you do or don't care, and how much you're willing to to do buy and eat "sustainable" foods.

I was, um, a bit surprised by my responses. Note: the survey does not ask about "liquid" foods such as beer or wine. Which is itself an interesting point. Anyway, the survey is here and it's worth look.