Mamma Melina. Here we go again.

Mamma Melina (You can turn off schmaltzy music, don't worry)
7/10 on the bangin' scale
Near University Village

Mamma Melina interior. Check it out. Their paintings are on the ceiling!

Mamma Melina is a great example of NBNQP*.

Let me qualify that. The bathrooms: Pimp (heated toilet seats! WHAAT?). The service: Pimp (water refilled multiple times... I'm a guzzler). The atmosphere: Pimp (modern. Paintings on the ceiling. Actually, maybe it skirts the boundary of pimp and kitschy.)

The food: NBNQP. It's dece, don't get me wrong. But it doesn't have that extra something. No unexpected flavor to rave about. No Proustian moment, either. Is it wrong that I always hope to find an Italian restaurant that will remind me of my childhood? Possibly. Simple, delicious, cheap... like Italian restaurants in New York. Or, saliva-inducing the moment you think about it, like my grandmother's sauce. Let me know if you've found such a place in Seattle.

Photographs:

Part of the $15 Dine around Seattle (March) Menu- Mozzarella, wrapped in prosciutto, with greens. Nicely presented, flavors that you would expect.

Lasagnette. It was quite a large portion (despite the ette at the end of the lasagn-), and the sauce was pretty good, but the inside was not super flavorful.

Part of the $15 Dine around Seattle (March) Menu - Rigatoni con Panna, Spinaci e Funghi. I mean, it was once again, dece. But not super interesting.

Tiramisu. I always enjoy Tiramisu. So pretty. And good. No complaints here.

Would I recommend it? Prolly. The atmosphere was fun (and the TOILET SEATS!), and the food was pretty good. Just don't expect too much. Like me.


*Not Bad, Not Quite Pimp.

Big Mario's

Big Mario's New York Style Pizza
8/10 on the bangin' scale
Capitol Hill

A New Yorker, a New Jerseyite, and a Tennessean walk into a pizzeria in Seattle. No, it's not the start of a cheesy joke, it's the start of a deliciously cheesy meal.

Big Mario's has had a lot of hype. You know, it's the only true NY style pizzeria in Seattle, blah blah blah. Howevah, we found it did live up to many of our expectations.

Pros:

1. NY-sized slices. (Big.)
2. The pizza was medium thin, crispy, and not super greasy.
3. They had a wide array of slices available  (maybe 6-8 different pies at 2:30pm on a Friday afternoon).
4. They were playing 90s rap music.
5. Full bar.
6. Widescreen TVs for sports nerds.

Cons:

1. The interior seating area is small (although it's perfect for off-peak times), so be prepared to take your slice and run.

Feast on this pizza with your eyes:

A Big Mario slice of pepperoni, tomato, and basil.

A slice topped with artichoke and mushrooms.

Red bell pepper, ham, and ricotta (?)

Now go feast on it forrealzies. $3.75 for each of these slices, $2.75 for plain cheese.

Seattle's top street murals: Part 5

(Also, 1, 2, 3 and 4.)

If you live in Seattle, you know they're extending the light rail up north through Capitol Hill and (eventually) the U-District. Anyway, the temporary walls surrounding the hole that will be the Cap Hill light rail station are covered in art. The best portion of the wall is some dude puking up rainbow birds. I luvz it.

I wonder if the art is autobiographical. Some dudes Baso Fibonacci, Zach Rochstad, and Japhy Witte have their names written on it. If I ever meet them I'll ask.

Go see it before it gets covered by dirt or graffiti, and/or before the light rail is finished (scheduled for 2014, which means it'll probably done much later than that).

PhD in a single question.

Yesterday at curling, a national (curling) champion asked me this simple question:, "How is school?" Noting my apparent dismay (which was actually due to my inability to converse with a normal human being), he followed up with, "Wait. Let me change that. How is your soul-crushing research experience?" In addition to being a top-rate curler, he also happens to have a PhD in mathematics.

I laughed and gave him a sheepish look as he walked--and then slid-- away. Actually, grad school is great at the mo'. I don't know if I will say the same in a few years when I'll wish I had worked harder right now, but... it's probably good to chill out for a few days... months... quarters?

Seattle's top street murals: Part 4

(Also, parts 1, 2, and 3!)

This series is quickly becoming the U-District's best street murals, but I promise you, this is only because it is winter and I am tooooo lazy to have to take the bus anywhere when it is raining/"cold"/gross out.

I present to you the campus parkway street mural. Created in 2004, apparently by Seattle students, it caused a big whoop at the time, because it looked too much like actual graffiti. And the city of Seattle didn't want to condone graffiti. But then they realized, "Oh, wait, we are Seattle, goshdarnit!" And they changed their minds.

Now that it's a good six something years old, there's graffiti on top of art that looks like graffiti! Meta! This mural is quite extensive, so I'll just include highlights:

See? These people did this art for FREE!

I love when art hits you across the head. It makes me laugh.

I thought this part was particularly sweet. Check out those elaborate tags.

 

Angry waterfall which happens to be below a bridge above burning land (not photographed).

Poseidon, or some awesome water monster rides a majestic seahorse. The angry waterfall (above) is presumably mimicking Poseidon's mood. Or maybe it's just having a bad hair day.

A motley crew of sailors are about to be pwned by Poseidon.

 

Tower of Babel?

 

So colorful!

An accordion snakes around the staircase that leads up to 11th Ave NE.

 

My personal favorite piece. "THIS IS YOUR DEEP SPEAKING TO YOUR SHALLOW." I love when middle schoolers try to be profound.

American Idol is the best thing that has happened to J-Lo's career since "Jenny From the Block"

Remember when they chose J-Lo for American Idol, to replace Paula Abdul or Ellen? Me neither.

But now her songs are making a comeback. Dance heavy, singing light, her songs always fun but not super memorable. Main themes: (I) She is a real person, who lives on the block. (II) Dancing makes the world better.

J-Lo top (according to me) discography, and fav parts:

1. Jenny from the Block (2002)- Hands down Ms. Lopez's best song. I) This is the song where she screams across the earthwaves that she is from "THE BRONX!". "Don't be fooled by the rocks that I got/ I'm still. I'm still. Jenny from the block." Then some dude in the background sings "everyone's got to make a living"... just in case you still thought she was selling out.  
2. Let's Get Loud (2000) - J-Lo's best dance song. "Let's get loud! Let's get louuud! Let's get louuuuuuuuud!" 
3. Ain't It Funny (Alternative Version) (2001)- A new favorite of mine, only because of the video. J-Lo becomes a gypsy, and dances You Got Served style in the center of the gypsy camp. 
4. Love Don't Cost a Thing (2000) - The lyrics to this song are key. "Think I wanna drive your Benz? I don't."
5. Ain't It Funny (2001) - Umm this is some key Ja Rule (the early 00's best known sh*t rapper). "Baybay. Is that your girlfriend? I've got my boyfriend. Maybe we can be friends." 
6. Play (2001) - (II) "Feels so right that it can't be wrong".Wannabe electro influences. 
7. I'm Real (2001) - (I) "I live my life to the limit and I love it". Because anything featuring Ja Rule  has to be included.
8. All I Have (2003) - J-Lo singing a slow song. With LL Cool J. (I): "I'm good/ Reppin' the girls on the block.

Sorry, J-Lo, "Waiting for Tonight" and "If You Had My Love" don't make the cut.

Looking to the future, J-Lo is supposedly releasing a new album ("Love?") this year. I'm not sure if this is really a single from the album (it's supposedly getting released on Tuesday...), but in the first 45 seconds you can tell it's already good: it's dance heavy, uses the phrase "It's a new J-LoRation", "references Inception, and might (?) include the word "badonkadonk".

Rain Time

First off, I totally stole this idea off my friend Shobs (I know, I'm a POSER... old school), who made me a sweet rain mix when I moved to Seattle. I also stole like half the songs off her mix, so props to her.

But anywayz, it's rain time in Seattle (aka life is a giant humidifier), and music always helps me get through gross winters. Seattleites- Enjoy! People where it snows in the winter- SUX 4 U. 

Playlist:

1.  Singin' In The Rain / Umbrella - Glee Cast Version featuring Gwyneth Paltrow
2. In The Rain - Estelle
3. The Rain (supa dupa fly) - Missy Elliott
4. Rainy Dayz (remix) - Raekwon feat. Ghostface Killah
5. Rainy Dayz - Mary J. Blige feat. Ja Rule
6. I Turn to You - Christina Aguilera
7. It's Raining Men - The Weather Girls
8. Rain - Madonna
9. Blame it on the Rain - Milli Vanilli
10. Kiss the Rain - Billie Myers
11. Foolish Games - Jewel
12. 3 AM - Matchbox 20
13. Fool in the Rain - Led Zeppelin
14. Who'll Stop the Rain - Creedence Clearwater Revival
15. Purple Rain - Prince
16. Umbrella - Rihanna feat Jay-Z

I just really love the Missy Elliott song.