A Happy Day, Today

[Owen from Final Fantasy]

I had a bunch of plans, and Plans have been Actualized!!!

There are new European dates on the up and up, starting April 30. Relax! They will be announced within the month.

Despite great financial improbability, there may be a string trio and a harpsichord accompanying the trip. Isn't that exciting?

I worked long and hard in finishing up arrangements for these intrepid viol artists. There are Brel-style stops and starts. There are quotes from Bartok, Ives and Cole Porter. If the results aren't "amazing", I will be crushed.

In fact, there are lots of things to be sad about. My eye doctor said my eyesight is deteriorating very quickly, and I should stop reading so much and eat a lot of carrots. Derek Bailey died, after 70+ years of total brilliance. The new Deerhoof record is too long and has lots of decidely un-clever writing. Howl's Moving Castle has nonsense for its last 30 minutes. I fucked up the sponge cake I tried to make.

Ah, never mind. Sad day, today.

[AnneYgerne]

yay ya ha! yup: jbeckers already found out you were coming to Brussels in may!!! Wonder how it's gonna be with this string trio and harpsichord: it is indeed very exciting!!!


gah!!!

those damn sponge cakes are such mean creatures!!!
Get one in your corner shop and show him who's the boss in the kitchen!!!

as for your eyes... I know I'm gonna shock you but try to consider audio books for some of your reading. Erm well, be careful if you're using headphones . Don't become like dear old Ludwig.

if you should consider quitting making your own sponge cakes, here's my latest cookies "invention", when you want to make some but have no hazelnuts nor chocolate:

250 gr butter
200 gr sugar
2 eggs
250 gr flour
250 gr "grated" almonds and crushed biscuits (I used speculoos)

melted butter + sugar whipped together for several minutes
add eggs
add the flour mixed with the almonds and crushed biscuits
make giant sausages with it, leave in the fridge for at least an hour, cut slices and put them on an oven plate and put in the warm oven until the colour is right.

I'm always having a great time making biscuits!!! I make them in many different shapes (any shape) and decorate them too: you enjoy them much longer than cakes and you can make them look like little treasure when you open the box to your friends ;D

The sun is shining over Brussels and it makes it all look fit for a photograph: these yellow buildings with that nice blue sky I see from my window, the nice perspective... Watching it all listening to your Spitz gig!

It's a hell of a great day today!!!

[jules]

Yeah must have sucked dying on Christmas day (although kind of sucks any day really) and just think of Pete Townsend who can't record because he's gone deaf. As for sponge cakes.....

Great news about the euro tour. Excited hardly describes the correct expression.

Dates I saw for UK somewhere:
10/05 London (UK)
11/05 Nottingham (UK)
...so where's the Birmingham gig then Spidey will be cross


Oh and greatly excited and looking forward to Poo Clouds

[ghostparty]

GOSH.

I will apparently be taking unauthorised leave and going awol at some point in the Springtime.

And was it Delia Smith's all-in-one spongecake? Because you cannot possibly go wrong with D.S's all-in-one spongecake. I made one once when I was in the midst of a hallucinatory fever and it was still so light and fluffy!

(She also does 'The ULTIMATE Carrot Cake with Mascarpone, Fromage Frais and Cinnamon Icing', which will not only help with your eyesight predicament, but will taste very, very good.)

[Owen]

hello said:

GOSH.

I will apparently be taking unauthorised leave and going awol at some point in the Springtime.

And was it Delia Smith's all-in-one spongecake? Because you cannot possibly go wrong with D.S's all-in-one spongecake. I made one once when I was in the midst of a hallucinatory fever and it was still so light and fluffy!

(She also does 'The ULTIMATE Carrot Cake with Mascarpone, Fromage Frais and Cinnamon Icing', which will not only help with your eyesight predicament, but will taste very, very good.)

As a matter of fact, it was the Delia Smith. The problem was I was tired and started cooking it after I had already made and eaten dinner.

I think my baking powder expired or something. Also, Delia is always asking for electric mixers, which I hate.

I usually refer to her most for soup recipes. Her Cream Of Celery is the simplest most delicious recipe I know.

[AnneYgerne]

good thing you mention the backing powder...
To avoid that kind of problem I always use "farine fermentante" for cakes and cookies... and I don't know how you could possibly get a sponge cake to be "spongeous" if you don't use an electric mixers, unless you got some people to help you mixing the stuff with you (sorry if whip isn't the correct english word, but it's the one we use in french).
My godmother "whips" some egg whites to increase the Sponge effect, but I find it too much trouble separating the white from the yolk etc.

anyway... gonna make some shopping to fill in that fridge of mine. Gotta find a way to use and accommodate some grey shrimps in a decent way ;D

[ghostparty]

I still use a manual rotary whisk. Homebaking hardly counts if you've not got blisters and/or actual arthritis by the end of it.

But yes yes the Cream Of Celery! That's about as good-tastin' as soup can feasibly be. But the Roasted Tomato With Basil Puree is very nice, too.

[pedro]

Yaaay! I just hope you will come by here in Portugal again and that you don't go blind soon!
And next time fuck the last train, I just wait until the next one at 6:30 AM...

[precipitate]

Now if only you'd find time in your busy schedule to come to the West Coast.

[sarra]

someoneelse said:

Dates I saw for UK somewhere:
10/05 London (UK)
11/05 Nottingham (UK)

*falls over and dies*
even though may is really rather a long way off, and a source identified only as "somewhere" isn't all that verifiable...

and gosh, i hadn't noticed your nick before, someoneelse - i remember trying studiously to ignore your camera at wolf parade. oh rum and sleep deprivation, what you do to a girl's dancing.

[Owen]

Yes, those dates are correct. Unconfirmed, but correct.

Celery Soup: I used to use Delia's potato thickening method, but you can shorten cooking time (and heighten deliciousness) by using the flour/egg-yolk way that Julia Child always has you do.

[Alrom]

Hi hi!

I've heard rumours of Final Fantasy playing at the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona... it's a big big event for all of you that don't know it.

Is this true? I wish it was. I really enjoyed the show at Castellón! Please come back to spain, we'll buy for you fine wine and really good food.

[gramophone]

Wait, is that fake Owen again? creepy!

[jbeckers]

gramophone said:

Wait, is that fake Owen again? creepy!

I'd say it's owen, but not logged in...

[EuromanCometh]

Here's all the known dates (some are not yet announced) taken from another source

30/04 LES PRINTEMPS DE BOURGES FESTIVAL Bourges (FR)
01/05 LE GRAND MIX Lille/Tourcoing (FR)
02/05 ANTIPODE Rennes (FR)
03/05 MAIN D'OEUVRE Paris (FR)
04/05 CYLINDRE Besancon (FR)
05/05 NUITS DE BOTANIQUE Brussels (B)
06/05 HALDERN SPEZIAL Köln (GER)
10/05 TBA London (UK)
11/05 LIARS CLUB Nottingham (UK)
12/05 NICE'N SLEAZY Glasgow (Scotland)
14/05 WHELANS Dublin (IR)
17/05 MOUSONTURM Frankfurt (GER)
18/05 ROTE SONNE München (GER)
19/05 SZENE Wien (A)
20/05 POP UP FESTIVAL @ UT CONNEWITZ Leipzig (GER)
23/05 ÜBEL & GEFÄHRLICH Hamburg (GER)
24/05 PUSTERVIKSBAREN Göteborg (SE)
25/05 PROPAGANDA FESTIVAL Stockholm (SE)