food, drink, monkeys, and beats from the dairy air of mondovi, wisconsin, the streets of minneapolis, and the sands of bondi beach, australia

SPEAK...

AIM is pntyrdr1
Email Seppo: kris dot sipe at gmail dot com
EAT ME!!!

Beef Bourguignon
Bitchin' Baked Paella
Risotto Magic
Stuffed Salmon
Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Chili Prawn Penne
3 2 1 Spatchcock!
Tomato Basil Fettuccine
Chili Con Seppo
Blueberry Boat Roast
Marinated Buffalo Mozzerella
Grilled Swordfish with Mango Salsa
Miss. Highco's Creme Brulee



ON THE IPOD...

Sufjan Stevens - Come on Feel the Illinois

Tegan and Sara - So Jealous

The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday

Nickel Creek - Why Should the Fire Die


FOR THE BOOKCLUB...

John Irving - Until I Find You


PREVIOUSLY ON...

95 Kg Tuna
Gay Post of the Week
Bonsai
Croc and Roll
French, Yes, Gay, Not so Much
I Could Spit on a Stranger
Outfoxed!
Heat Wave!!!
Bitched at Swirth
Sydney Supernova



WHEN?




WHERE?

blogger
all music guide
college music journal
internet movie database
slayage
urband legends archive
tripple j
all zone 4 dvd
grimsey records
britneyfreak
Blogger Boobiethon
Starlight Foundation
Sydney Morning Herald
Apple
Torrentspy
MacRumors



Favs, Fads and Friends

Tuesday, September 28, 2004

You Gotta' Know When to Fold 'Em

Getting an invitation for a bachelor party with the theme, "Gamble Your Life Away" should immediately trigger red flags; especially when the race track is involved. I tend to spend a lot of the summer at Randwick Race Course (Mission Impossible II), and was quite disappointed that the George's Main Stakes was to be held at Warrick Farm, due to problems with the controversial all weather track here in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney. I managed to go the entire day without one win, and only three places, stupidly betting against Grand Armee, due to poor odds (losing on good odds still gets you $0). A stupid decision for sure, especially after seeing Grand Armee's run against legendary Lonhro last season.

It was an interesting (to say the least) atmosphere out at Warrick Farm, much different to the elegance (and gravity defying cleavage) of members at Randwick. Hugo Boss was replaced by Von Dutch, and the fashion parade was reduced to a Girls Gone Wild type extravaganza where a crowd of yabos had to be held back from less than sanitary looking woman in Australian flag bikinis. The train ride back treated us to a carload of drunk pommie woman who sang songs that made me blush.

Once back into the city and a couple of rums later, we were off cruising the harbour drinking Ukranian beer and taking in the icons at night. The vodka was passed around (Eastern European's do it right) and we played a Australian game called Two Up, which is only legal on Anzac Day (and in the harbour, apparently), which I actually made some money at. After that, it was off to the casino, where in the course of 3 hours, I managed to:

1. Lose $100 in the first ten minutes.
2. Insist that doubling down on 12s was a really good strategy.
3. Nearly get killed by a really large man with tattoos on his knuckles.
4. Tell our dealer he looked like Dr. Spoc.
5. Frighten an elderly Asian woman away from our table by offering her a kiss.
5. Gain back $100 and end up with a pocket full of chips... Double Down!!!
6. Wander around the casino at 3.30 am, trying to figure out how to get out.
7. Have a nice security guard help me cash in my chips, find the exit and get a cab.

Congrats A.K. and thanks for a great night... Looking forward to meeting my own future Ukrainian wife at the wedding.
... Seppo 11:26 am...

I am having problems with my image server, but have been assured it will be fixed soon, sorry for the lack of visuals.
... Seppo 10:42 am...

Thursday, September 23, 2004

Rumours, Lies and Innuendos...



It's been a busy month for this Seppo, I tells ya. Weekends away and many an after work commitment take their toll, and moving offices is always a fiasco - but as you can tell by my new view above, it was well worth it. Bachelor and Birthday parties, weddings and visits from Hong Kong will keep me busy as a beeeaaatch... So, updates may be few and far between. I will not , however, throw in the towel. I am too much of a narcissist, and I will need this forum to show off my Brad Pitt Troylike abs in summer beach photos.

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So much going on, where to begin... I cannot bear to actually sit and watch the Emmys, so I missed out on the "hottest" writer in Hollywood, Tess Smith and her barely there dress. This would have looked much better on Mischa, but since demure is the new slutty, she went with a more traditional ensemble. Apparently Britney hasn't heard the news about the demure thing, as she continues to cavort with her fiancé cum husband, and brandish "ironic" t-shirt slogans such as "Future Milf" and "Talentless Ho" For more information, see Britney aficionado and all around musical miscreant, Scott Stereogum.
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Charges, over at the Rollertrain has opened for comments, so if you haven't had a look do so now. Leave her a comment and hope for a rabbit, cock ring or maybe the latest in the Pyramid series.
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Russ Meyers is dead. I will leave the wit to the Master. I'm sure there will be a "Thanks for the Mammaries" type headline.
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There are rumours, and they ain't about field hockey players. We are crossin' our fingers here in Oz, that Frank Black gets his ass in gear, and the Pixies visit us for a little Big Day Out action. Last time I saw the Pixies is when they opened for U2 in Minneapolis, back in 1992. Either Bono sabotaged their gear out of jealousy, or they weren't big on the stadium rock circuit, hopefully they'll be in the form that made those Reading Festival performances famous.
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What makes a young, pageant upstart go for the Miss World circuit? We all know that Miss Universe is where the money's at. Sorry Sarah Davies, you ain't got nothin' on my Bondi girl Jen. After I got done with my Taming of the Shrew stizz makeover, there's no way she wasn't gonna win that thing. Next stop, Ventura Blvd!!!

... Seppo 4:26 pm...

Sunday, September 19, 2004



Please forgive my absence, spring snowboarding calls. Notice, however, that the much criticized mullet has been taken care of.
... Seppo 10:51 pm...

Tuesday, September 14, 2004

Blueberry Boat Roast

Ok, so I'm having a few people over for dinner, and one of them happens to be a yoga instructor, so I'm thinking, hmmm.... something healthy. I thought about making a nice warm salad, or cooking up some swordfish with a nice mango salsa, and then, I thought, eff it. I'm gonna wrap some beef with bacon and cover it in blueberry sauce.

Really though, you won't believe how gorgeous this turns out. The bacon starts cooking the beef early and seals it with this beautiful yummy goodness. Since blueberries are just coming into season here, they are not as sweet as usual, and make for beautiful savory sauces, and I've been waiting for an excuse to use them.

The Roast:

1 -2.5 Kg Beef Roast
5 - 8 Slices of Bacon
3 Sprigs Rosemary (stripped from the stalk)
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Salt
1 Tbsp Pepper

The Sauce:

1 Pint Blueberries
2 Tbsp Demi Glaze
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Pepper
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Cup Red Wine





Ok, preheat your oven to 180 Degrees Celsius to get things started. I must insist that you play the Fiery Furnaces while making this roast, or it would just be Blueberry Roast instead of Blueberry BOAT Roast. To get things started, make sure that all the silverskin, and unnecessary fat are trimmed off of your roast. Now, simply wrap the roast in bacon, so that the ends meet on the bottom, and place the beef in a roasting tray, or a robust saute pan (I'm attached to my Circulon). Now, rub the roast with olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary. Throw it in the oven, keeping in mind that it will take about 55 minutes per kilo to cook. About 5 minutes before the roast is done, start your sauce.

Get a small sauce pan on high, and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Add finely chopped garlic. Once the garlic starts to sizzle a bit, add your blueberries. Once they are cooking a bit, add your wine. Simmer for about 5 minutes. While simmering, take your roast out to set. Add salt and pepper, and whisk in your demi glaze. Demi glaze is made with beef stock, a browned vegetable mirepoix (diced carrots, onions, celery and herbs), a brown roux and herbs, but you should be able to pick it up from a good butcher, gourmet shop, or a place like Whole Foods in the states. It's a great thing to have in the fridge, and it really makes this sauce.

Once the sauce reaches a nice consistency, take it off the stove. Slice up your roast (the bacon will be all crispy and yummy) serve with mash (I made sweet potato mash) and spoon over the sauce. My guests were so enamored with the sauce that they begged for more, and licked their plates clean.

... Seppo 8:01 pm...

Monday, September 13, 2004

Australian Audiences... Two nights in a row of O.C. goodness:

Tonight, 9.30 PM Channel 10, my favorite episode...

The Best Chrismukah Ever

Seth excitedly introduces a skeptical Ryan to Chrismukah, a Cohen family tradition. As everyone prepares for a huge holiday party organized by Julie, Seth continues attempting to juggle Anna and Summer and Kirsten learns something about her father that could change everything. And Ryan and Marissa's shopping trip leads to trouble - and the beginning of even bigger problems for Marissa.

Tomorrow, (Tuesday) 8.30 PM

The Countdown

It's New Year's and "love" is in the air. A sister returns home and throws a party. Oliver casts his spell. Sandy and Kirsten find themselves in a rut and out of their environment. Meanwhile, Seth finally makes a decision between Summer and Anna.

... Seppo 5:00 pm...

Wednesday, September 08, 2004

Mischa, Mischa, Mischa!!!

I hope all of you stateside had a fantastic long weekend. From the info layed out, it looks like it was a good one. I'll be thinking of y'all the first weekend of October, when we are celebrating the Queens birthday.

I am rather upset at the news that one Miss. Mischa Barton has been behaving like a spoilt little princess. It was disturbing enough that she was doing the bump and grind at Coachella a few months ago, but calling the cutest girl on tv, Rachel Billson, "too curvy" is going too far! I am awaiting the new season with baited breath, but my suspension of disbelief may be a bit limited by Mischa's antics. (via Mr. shot stick himself, Uncle G.)

Speaking of Mischa, Australian ladies (and freaky boys like me) should run to the newsagent and pick up a copy of Yen magazine (with her royal bitchiness on the cover) as soon as possible. I used to subscribe to Jane magazine (I love you Jane Pratt) back in America, to see what the young ladies were up to, but their wasn't anything comparable over here. Yen is a fantastic, empowering, left of centre fashion magazine and it's got the kind of editorial staff a guy would die to have over for dinner.

Hopefully this link will stay up for awhile, but if not, it looks like a beautiful house. Check out the garden view!



UPDATE: Just got a text that this was on fantastic Oz show The Panel (Thanks A.K.) Leaning towards urban legend... Developing....
... Seppo 6:33 pm...

Monday, September 06, 2004

A Pefect Storm

Ms. Norton was lovely enough to invite Konky and me to spend the day on her father's sail boat yesterday.



Since Bob looked an awful lot like Mr. Hemingway, we christened him the Old Man of the Sea.



While we lay, soaking up the sun, Konky actually learned to sail.



Things were looking a bit foreboding towards the city.



Sydney's icons looked like they were facing a divine destruction!



Luckily, we made it back to shelter just as it started to rain... and I made it back to Bondi, just in time to poor a glass of red, put on some Sigur Ros, and watch the show.



...and afterwards, my beach turned into a springtime hail field...



But since this is Bondi, everyone just took advantage of the benefits of the perfect storm.
... Seppo 10:59 pm...

Friday, September 03, 2004

Holy Crap, That's Miss. Universe's Ass

First I missed meeting Jennifer Hawkins, because I skipped the Miss. Australia cocktail party to go out with Dr. Alice, and now, I missed seeing her bum live on T.V., because I was cooking... I heard a cacophony from the living room last night as my German friend Josch yelled, "panties on TV" and began dancing around the room.

apparently, Miss. Hawkins lost her skirt while doing a fashion parade for Westfield, and showed everyone her cute little bum. It's nice to know that before even posting this, I had 20 Google hits from the incident. I guess that me and my Bondi neighbor go hand in hand.



UPDATE: Video Here

UPDATE 2:

"They're just Bonds undies," a said an unfazed Jen. Cost = $5.99
... Seppo 11:40 am...

Wednesday, September 01, 2004

Australian rock for the last 10 years leaves A LOT to be desired. For some reason, Aussies are happy to praise mediocrity, elevating the likes of Daniel Johns of Silver Chair fame to cultlike status. There are, however a few wonderful exceptions, such as poor, heartbroken Ben Lee (sitting at home and watching re-runs of My So Called Life), art rockers Spider Bait, alt.country mommy Kasey Chambers, and the boys that made it big in Japan, Regurgitator.

The Gurge's new project is to spend the next three weeks recording their new album in a plastic bubble, within the architectural controversy, Federation Square, Melbourne. Fans and observers will be able to chat with the band, as well as throw eggs at them a' la David Blaine.

Band in a Bubble is live on Channel V from 5.30 - 6pm... Check out footage of the band entering the bubble here.
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The buzz is long gone, and Google has cracked down on selling Gmail invites on ebay. Someone beat my $200 bid for nickihilton@gmail.com, but I have a shit load of invites to give out... If anyone is interested, please leave your email addy, and I'll hook you up.

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While I'm certainly not a big fan of Kylie, I am not a jealous, bitter cow! (I'm just a boy with a mullet).
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Petitions by the truckload are coming in from Endor. Apparently Ewoks are not allowed on Jet Star flights to Melbourne...

... Seppo 10:12 am...