stencil graffiti

art :: paintings for my friends

stencil graffiti - fight club

this year i decided to make xmas gifts for all my friends. part of me wanted to make something special for everyone, part of me just wanted to paint. i chose stencils as the medium for a few reasons. one, i have little experience with them. most of my graffiti has been hand drawn on the fly. some people in the 'graff scene' seem to think that stencils are cheating. but i don't see it that way. it's just another method in the same medium...

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double cooked tofu

notes :: steamed and fried goodness

tofu - double-cooked

one day i walked into an unfamiliar chinese restaurant and ordered szechuan tofu. the nice lady behind the counter asked me if i wanted it steamed, fried... or both. at that moment my mind was blown. and the idea of double cooked tofu was born. it’s a simple recipe for anyone new to cooking tofu. this article is meant to teach you how to cook tofu, not flavor it. tofu is known for taking on the tastes of whatever it’s cooked with. after cooking the tofu in this method you can coat or sauté it in a sauce of your choice, or eat it plain.

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vegan chocolate chip cookies

notes :: my delicious recipe

vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe

start with a small container of margarine
(like 7.5oz of promise or smart balance)

blend in some sugar.
i use about 1/3 brown sugar, 1/3 white sugar, and 1/2 a cup of confection [powdered] sugar.

*optional*
you can also use 1 table spoon of honey and/or agave nectar.

stir until creamy.

add 1 tea spoon vanilla and stir.
add flour.
(i like to mix 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour and 1+1/2 cup of white flour.)

*NOTE*
if you used honey / agave nectar you'll need and extra 1/2 cup of flour.

add 1 tea spoon of salt.
add 1 tea spoon of baking soda.
add 1 tea spoon of baking powder.

you want the dough to be stiff not sticky. if necessary, add more flour...

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TK and the penguins

random :: pittsburgh penguins hockey practice

pittsburgh penguins #48 tyler kennedy and xero

so the other day nina, will, and i went to a pittsburgh penguins hockey practice. i got to meet TK! (aka #48 tyler kennedy) i couldn’t believe that he was only a little bit taller than me, but he's carved out of solid rock! GO PENS! this is the last season for mellon arena so it was nice to get to visit the igloo one last time. 

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we went to florida

random :: mini-vacation

jupiter lighthouse

my grandparents moved to flordia a few years ago, and ever since, the rest of my family have slowly been moving there. my uncle mark lived there already, then my aunt joan moved there shortly after. then my cousin, then her mom... yeah, almost that entire side of the fam. so needless to say, we were due for a visit. my dad is dr. paranoia, and couldn't fly down there. and i in no way wanted to ride with him, my mother, nina and his road rage. nor did i want to drive there myself with nina and my road rage. so we opted to hop with the jet set. the flight was so short i barely beat metroid fusion on the plane ride there and back with 98% completion.

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poultrygeist at the warhol

entertainment :: a night with lloyd kaufman

lloyd kaufman with nina and xero

to kick off the pittsburgh zombie film festival, lloyd kaufman and the troma crew, made the venture down to the iron city to premiere their new film poultrygeist at the andy warhol museum. my buddy smitty and his girlfriend amanda decided that they would accompany nina and i. we didn't want to miss the show...

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