Eurovisiontrash 2008

And the winner is: gay (as in happy) and ice-skatingly fantastic; Mother Russia never seizes to amaze...




*if in rush, just go ahead and skip to the middle

Beans

Screaming ones at that...

Paris, Zaha Hadid and crane collapses

While LittleWarsaw is recovering from jet-lag after her Parisian travels and debauchery, she is thrilled to announce Zaha Hadid's Lilium Tower, the architect's new project to be built in the center of Warsaw, across from the Palace of Culture. More details on NY Times (thank you BCreamy!). I am yet to see an image of the actual tower design.



Sadly while in most parts of the world buildings are created, close to to home yet another construction was tragically demolished in a crane accident. At least person was killed this morning on East 91st Street (and 1st Avenue) when a crane toppled and collapsed onto a high-rise apartment building, just two months after another tragic crane accident on East 51st Street.

Wódka, oh wódka!

Being the Polak that I am, this water and ethanol miracle juice naturally runs in my veins. Poland has been producing vodka since the Middle Ages as a "healing remedy" for various ailments. It was even said that it was "to increase fertility and awaken lust"... Ha! This is to prove that drunken sexcapades have been around for way longer than even the roaring 20's.

Żubrówka, being my favorite poison of choice, is a dry herb (Bison Grass) flavored vodka made from rye. Paired with apple juice on the rocks, it's simply divine! But vodka isn't just for drinking. Dahlia Rideout suggests some amusing insights on practicality of adult beverages (especially for ladies):

-Clean jewelry. Soak the jewelry in vodka for five minutes, then rinse, and dry.
- Clean lipstick from clothing. Rub the stain with vodka, then throw into your regular wash.
-Prolong the life of razors by filling a cup with vodka and letting your safety razor blade soak in the alcohol after shaving. The vodka disinfects the blade and prevents rusting.
-Using a cotton ball, apply vodka to your face as an astringent to cleanse the skin and tighten pores.

Read the rest on DivineCaroline.

Ok folks, I was wrong...

... oh so wrong. Watching five grown-up men who are barely catching their breaths while attempting to belt out "Step by Step" is not even remotely amusing (while my colleague BCreamy's impersonation of Jordan certainly is!).

They're sad. And scary. And almost embarrassing to watch. My daughter won't be allowed to listen to anything pop except Lionel Richie and Madonna. I'll buy her a black leather coat and a copy of Smells like Children. Voila!

Mac software leads to recovery of stolen laptop

A clever Mac user who had her laptop stolen led the police to the alleged burglars using Back to My Mac. Three roommates in White Plains, N.Y., had about $5,000 worth of computer and entertainment equipment stolen 27-Apr-08. Then this last Tuesday, one victim who works at an Apple Store, Kait Duplaga, received a text message from a friend, who, spotting her on iChat, thought she'd recovered her computer.

She said no, and used Back to My Mac's remote screen sharing feature to monitor her laptop's built-in iSight camera to grab a photo of one of the alleged thieves. She then used remote file sharing to find pictures of the other stored on the laptop. The two men charged in the burglary were arrested with the equipment in their apartment, and are reportedly friends of a friend of the roommates who had their stuff stolen.

Continued here (by Glenn Fleishman for TidBITS)

Killer Quiz

I challenge you to this Killer Quiz. I got 7 out of 10; dare ya to beat me!

Healthy May is here to stay

In an attempt to get over my early spring gluttony, I decided to embrace a few new healthy customs. I'll veg out, get hot, think green and have more chocolate breaks a la Web MD. This will also entail purging these naughty culprits from my fridge. Viva el swimsuit season!


What's next? Spring cleaning?

Avenging Unicorn

When I was a little girl Pretty Ponies were all the rage. These days our daughters have an opportunity to play with even more fantastic and imaginative toys. Meet the Avenging Unicorn. This friendly yet remorseful action figure comes with its own set of four magical horns and three enemies to impale.

Killer mug

As a proper Polak, I tend to drink a lot of tea. A cup after a meal is a necessity. Check out this new knuckle duster mug from the UK:

The greatest prank ever, seriously folks

An actual exchange between pilots and control tower

A Pan Am 727 flight, waiting for start clearance in Munich, overheard the following:

Lufthansa (in German): "Ground, what is our start clearance time?"
Ground (in English):"If you want an answer you must speak in English."
Lufthansa (in English): "I am a German, flying a German airplane, in Germany Why must I speak English?"
Unknown voice from another plane (in a beautiful British accent): "Because you lost the bloody war!"

I love the Brits!

I GOT, I WANT, I NEED

Little Warsaw is loyal to her people, chocolate and Nick Cave.


Spur of the moment likes are fun, too! Here's the latest I WANT, I NEED, I GOT list:

Book: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz - ever since I read an excerpt published in the New Yorker, I was determined to own, devour and redevour TBAWLOOW, Diaz's first novel. And so I did and ended up falling in love with Oscar, the tragic hero, a lonely, lovesick, overweight Dominican nerd.
CD: Dig!!! Lazarus!!! Dig!!! by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (ok, I know, but I couldn't help myself!) - released a few weeks ago, it ain't the Boatman's Call but it doesn't have to be. It's pretty damn brilliant on its own. Cave's dark gospel is haunting but a bit rockier as well.
Blog: The Sneeze's Steve Don't Eat It - Steve says: "First time here? Steve, Don't Eat It! might not be a bad place to start." Little Warsaw agrees.
Website: Wacky Archives' Boring Day at the Office - It's amusing because I'm having an utterly boring day at the office today.
Adult beverage: Maker's Mark - Who knew Little Warsaw would ever trade vodka for whiskey?
Perfume: Hanae Mori - an oldie but a goodie. What girl doesn't smelling like fancy vanilla cupcakes anyway?
Gallery show: Isobel Steele MacKinnon at Corbett vs. Dempsey, Chicago - I was just enamored by this American artist's Weimar portraits and bold St. Tropez landscapes.
Museum show: anything but the 2008 Whitney Biennial - Jerry Saltz is so right. Enough of this over-conceptualized artsy art that's art because it looks like art already!
Shoe splurge: Christian Louboutin’s sold out Monica boot - and a hilarious story about it in last week's New Yorker.

Little Warsaw vacation spot of the season

And the winner is:


Oda 4 Hotel Cappadocia, Turkey: a cozy four-room hotel in Cappadocia (Nevşehir Province) known for it's incredible geological, historic and cultural features.

Wonder what to get me...

...this little ham will do.

Wonder what to get him...

...Blackman underwear perhaps? I like that the model (who leaves quite little to imagination) is a married man.

What does the Spongebob cast have to do with the Godfather?

Genius.

Polish parking

Ok folks, this one is actually pretty clever. My parents had one of these Fiat cars when I was just a baby. It was called "Maluch" (meaning the "little one") also known as a "can of death" since if you got into an accident in one of these, chances are that you would be greeting the pearly gates pretty damn soon. Our Maluch was painted egg yolk yellow and smelled like plastic. Luxury at its finest!

Little Warsaw video of the day

"Someone wanted to kill the hope that it is possible to avoid violence in Polish political life." -Solidarity leader Lech Walesa



From BBC, October 1984:


1984: Pro-Solidarity priest is murdered
Polish police have recovered the body of a Roman Catholic priest an outspoken champion of the banned trade union Solidarity.

Father Jerzy Popieluszko, aged 37, was kidnapped on 19 October allegedly by three secret police, led by a police captain in the Interior Ministry, who have since been arrested. Father Popieluszko had become famous throughout Poland when he drew thousands to his church where he preached against the Communist government.

In March this year the Pope sent Father Popieluszko a gift via the Bishop of Warsaw after he had attacked the Polish Communist government for banning crucifixes from schools.

Eleven days ago, he was ambushed on a forest road near the town of Torun, 45 miles (72km) from the reservoir. Divers found the priest's remains in the Wloclawek reservoir, west of the capital Warsaw after a two-day search. The alleged kidnappers had said they had dumped his body in a reservoir on the River Vistula. When the news was announced at his parish church, his congregation was silent for a moment and then began shrieking and weeping with grief."Someone wanted to kill the hope that it is possible to avoid violence in Polish political life." Solidarity leader Lech Walesa. Thousands more followers gathered at his church, St Stanislaw's, singing the nationalist church anthem, "May God watch over Poland".

Solidarity leader Lech Walesa issued a statement saying: "The worst has happened. Someone wanted to kill and he killed not only a man, not a Pole, not only a priest. Someone wanted to kill the hope that it is possible to avoid violence in Polish political life." He also urged the Polish public to remain calm and said Father Popieluszko's funeral should be peaceful.

Both the Polish authorities and the banned trade union movement are worried that national grief will turn to more violent demonstrations followed by repression. Even before the priest's body was found the government had already imposed a state of alert in nine major towns and cities, imposing large fines or prison sentences on groups of demonstrators.

Yesterday, the Warsaw press published a stern warning issued by Poland's leader General Jaruzelski during a speech to the central committee which read: "The people's authority ... is capable in the name of social peace of carrying out lawful and determined counterblows to the actions of troublemakers."

Martial law, introduced on 13 December 1981, was lifted in March last year but Catholic churches are still the only place where supporters of banned groups such as Solidarity feel they can gather in large numbers. According to the Daily Telegraph newspaper, the leader of the Polish Church, Archbishop Glemp, had summoned Father Popieluszko and told him several times "to tone down his sermons in accord with restraints and pressures imposed by the Communist system."

Little Warsaw picture of the day

Ulica Zielna: before war it was a legendary street filled with an eclectic mix of old brownstones and expensive townhouses. It was completely destroyed during the German occupation. Post-war, it's just another street, smaller, less significant, almost forgotten...

Don't be hating Henry Rollins...

So much yes.

My lady love can cook too!

Sinead in action: wild scallops in an apple cider and bacon reduction with baby potatoes, organic asparagus and rose champagne. Let's not forget a sprinkle of the freshly fried bacon on top! Wrong Turn 2 with the delicious Henry Rollins and a scoop of rice pudding for dessert. Life is swell.

Ancient

One good tooth; a magical portrait by Przemek Bednarczyk.

Little Warsaw picture of the day

Lazienki Krolewskie, the largest park in Warsaw, and Palac na Wodzie (Palace on the Water) built in the 17th century by Tylman van Gameren for Stanislaus Lubomirski; and then redesigned by Dominik Merlini in 1772 for Stanisław August Poniatowski, the last king of Poland. Most of the park's buildings burned during and after the Warsaw Uprising (1944) amid fighting among German, Polish and Soviet forces. The structures nevertheless were relatively well-preserved, compared to Warsaw's Old Town, and the park's reconstruction was completed within a few years after the war.

Oh, the memories of picking chestnuts and feeding swans. Oh, the beauty of my beloved city!

Don't try this at home

Some scary shit

What is the craziest thing Gary Busey has snorted coke off?

MAXIM: What was the freakiest thing you ever snorted blow off of when you were a prominent coke fiend?

Gary Busey: I came home one day, took off my windbreaker, and three bindles of cocaine fell to the floor. Well, my dog, Chili, who has short hair, came in and laid on her back with her legs in the air, and she rubbed all my cocaine on her back and side. I yelled, "No, Chili! No" So I got a straw, and I started brushing her hair and snorting where I saw cocaine. Back, butt, side -- not a spot was left. It took me 25 minutes to snort all the cocaine the dog had on her coat. The fringe benefits of this were that the fleas, the dog hair, the mud, and the sweat went in my nose, too. It's not a good flavor coming off the dog.

...and to think I had a crush on him after Lethal Weapon 1 came out. Yuck.

Little Warsaw picture of the day

Warsaw: Old Town Square, circa 1944 and 2004. Lined with cobblestone streets, umbrellas and the smell of fresh bread; engulfed in violin music; the most magical place of all.

Supper time, can't touch this!

What's better than eating a yummy supper on a hot Thursday night? Sharing it with your best friend of course. Here's a recipe for LittleWarsaw's famous stuffed squid:

Clean and cut your squid. Separate and finely chop the tentacles. Open up a bottle of Simi Merlot. Take a big sip. Repeat.


Lightly brown the chopped tentacles along with a sprinkle of chopped onion. Five minutes should do it.


Stuff the squid bodies with a mix of the browned tentacles mixed with 1/4 cup of bread crumbs, 1/4 cup of Pecorino Romano cheese, two eggs, a generous sprinkle of parsley, a chopped garlic clove and a large dash of freshly ground black pepper. Seal each squid with a toothpick.


In the meantime prepare the sauce. Saute a chopped garlic clove along with a little remaining chopped onion in a splash of warmed EVOO. Reduce the sauce for 10+ minutes.


Drop the stuffed squid into the sauce; mix; cover and saute for 15+ minuted until cooked through.


Serve immediately with a fresh baguette and a sprinkle of fresh parsley. Refill your wine glass. Enjoy!


Finished? Well done. Open up a bottle of any Shiraz, cheer and pop in a horror film. Yasss.

Poles not getting enough sexy time

Seriously folks, did you know that Poland is facing an underpopulation problem?

Hotsy Totsy Nazi

Hotsy Totsy Nazi
(noun) - A person with an antisocial personality disorder, manifested in aggressive, perverted, criminal, or amoral behavior without empathy or remorse

B is for Bitch

"Bitch" likes streamline design and can be found sweating at the New York Sports Club, screaming at her Trump Tower doorman and cutting class at the New York School of Interior Design. She is short, annoying and forgettable.

Lil rocker...

It's a girl, it's Ozzy, it's my favorite little home-made video music starlet!



Dig my Hannah Montana wig? 

Little Warsaw picture of the day

Palac Kultury, a.k.a. The Palace of Culture. A generous, post World War II gift from the Soviets to the Poles. They even originally named it the Joseph Stalin Palace of Culture and Science. How lovely! It's the tallest building in Poland and the world's 187th tallest building. Also the place where I first learned to skateboard (I was ten, he was 16; the lessons were really cheap; my mom didn't like his long hair), the place where I ate one too many fruity Mentos; the place where I took Salsa dancing but couldn't shake it right with my 11 year old ass; the place where I first watched Dirty Dancing and Gremlins... damn, I love this Stalinist building.

Little Warsaw picture of the day

This picture was taken a couple of months after I was born. The young man is a victim of the Communist regime during the Polish Martial law period (Dec '81 - Jul '83). This unfortunate time brought arrests to thousands of innocent citizens and deaths to approximately one hundred. My mother recalled empty store shelves and a national curfew.

Before and After

I thought you'd be amused by the "kitchenette" in the back of certain NYC art gallery. Try finding something in the refrigerator! Also, enjoy the "after" shot. We're not complete slobs after all...







Photo credit: B. Creamy

What's next... Little Chicago?

"Chicago, Looking North from State and Washington Streets." Lithograph from Pictorial History of Chicago (Chicago, 1930). Kudos to my Chi-towners! I agree, early 20th century Warsaw blatantly echoes resemblance to its US counterpart.

Supermommy

I've always sweated Claudia Schiffer's 90's super-model-stardom. I flipped through imported Western fashion magazines, rubbed perfume samples all over my decollete and daydreamed that I'm on photo-shoot sets with Claudia, Linda, Naomi and the gang. Then came the bizarre David Copperfield stage that lasted until my 1999 high school graduation and seemed as alien as the Lisa Marie Presley/Michael Jackson act. I began to loose interest and by the time college days rolled by I could have cared less for the ladies, who in their heyday, made $10,000 a day.

My fascination with top dollar earning babes who sell their sexy bods is back these days. I'm absolutely hot for the $2000 an-hour woman, and the infamous Kristen, a skinny NJ gal who managed to shake up New York's capital to pieces with her unprotected love muffin. But back to Claudia! I'm delighted to show you her most precious new cargo: her little daughter who's just as cute as her mama.

Little Warsaw picture of the day

Warsaw, Marszalkowska Street c. 1900

Blast from the past

I feel like my ex-boyfriends are in town. Joey, the Capricorn; Jordan the Taurus... My colleague, lets call her B. Creamy, and I are almost tempted to go see them perform live on May 16th. My goth friends will surely disapprove.

Little Warsaw picture of the day

Warsaw ghetto uprising, Spring 1943

Presenting: SUBWAY-SPOTTING...

...featuring the bad, the ugly and the hopeless cruising our beloved MTA subway system.


The Gluttons - eating on the subway is not classy, especially when you shovel it down your throat.

Witam

In the day and age when even the NKOTB seem to make a comeback, I've decided to give the blogging world another chance. Hear me rant about politics, (organic) food, vodka, gothing and shoes. Join my anti-Hillary / pro-Poland crusade. Get my award winning pierogi recipe. Submit your favorite "Sure You Are" and/or "Subway-spotting" picture of the week. The possibilities are endless (and so is my appetite).

Do zobaczenia!

-Patricia