Wanna Be Startin' Something

I read an article on Aftermath talking about the intentionallity of listening to music. The author purchased a stand-alone MP3 player and forced themselves to not have access to everything all the time. It flashed me back to middle school or high school where I had a CD player and could realistically only listen to a single album at a time. There are some albums I consumed this way and still think of as a whole, rather than the sum of its singles, Stankonia by Outkast or The Eminem Show by Eminem to name a few.

I really love music and I wanted to get back to that feeling of listening with a purpose rather than jumping around my 5-star rated tracks. This is a great way to listen to music as each track is a banger, but I felt I wanted to listen to the other things I have. And not just being fed an algorithm of tracks picked “for me.”

So yes, I did buy the MP3 player. I’ve officially been influenced. I figured I would take a week with a single disc/album. Since I’m going to focus on one album at a time, I’d reflect on what I listened to. I want to do a writing every week, but somethings get in the way, kids, life, etc. It could be every two weeks, or three. Or one per month. As long as I do it, I’ll be happy.

I set up my music library to feed me a random album when I check a specific playlist. I’ll load it to my MP3 player and press play. With no further ado, here we go!

2026

My sister recently shared with us her list of things to do in 2026. She specifically said we need to write it down to manifest it into reality. Here I am days later actually getting to do it. So, here’s my 2026 hopefuls.

• Move more. We pay $122 per month for a gym membership we use 3 months out of the year. I’d like to find some time in the day to actually get to the gym once in the next six months. Even if I don’t make it to the gym, there’s a walking pad in the house. That the biggest thing you can do for your health is that 0 to 30 minutes a day change that is be the biggest immediate benefit.

• Write more. I’ve got it in my head to be more intentional when I listen to music. To the extent that I purchased a standalone MP3 player just for that purpose. I’d like to listen to music and review what I’ve listened to album by album. I really like music and I want to put that on paper so to speak.

• Be more. This one is hard to articulate. I think it has a lot more to do with family and how I interact with them. There was always going to be strife, but I think in terms of my health, physical and emotional, really the best thing would be to just lesson those issues and instances. I’m not 100% sure what that means. It could be me. It could be others.

• Know more. I didn’t think about this one until I was half asleep after writing the prior three. I recently received a Flipper as a birthday gift. It is a pen testing tool with NFC, RFID, etc. I used it to turn on a TV and back up Yoto cards. Not much else. I’d like to be familiar with this tool. I’ve also switched my laptop to Linux, which I’d like to learn better as well.

It’s a short list, but achieving any one of these would be super. As with anything I do for myself, they each fall under the same challenge: time and commitment. Children mean you really need to commit to making time. It’s 10:30PM as I write this. I’m wiped, but if it’s getting me to a non-zero day, so be it.

Hot Sauce Committee Part Three: Green Sauce

Bottom line up front: Is this even hot sauce?

There are a lot of things going on this this sauce without even opening the bottle. Exactly what is “Green” hot sauce other than green? Lots of chilies? Green peppers? The name alone is confusing. Look at the bottle. It’s got Japanese branding all over. Cherry blossoms. Mount Fuji. A rising sun. That imagery pulls me in a completely different direction that is better served by soy or tamari. Even the Bulldog sauce would be more welcome.

When I opened this bottle I got that smell that is standard of all these sauces, vinegar. My expectations are tempered already.

I put it on my already bland food and did not really notice it at first. So I put more on. Pretty soon the bottle was empty. I used the entire bottle without noticing the flavor of the sauce. It was that bland and unflavored. Sure, there was a tiny amount of heat, but what normally stretches over a week was gone in one sitting.

A bland, nothing sauce is almost as bad as a sauce that does nothing like this one. One that provides mixed messages and ultimately delivers on neither.

Hot Sauce Committee Part Three: Egyptian Fire Scarab Sauce

Bottom line up front: Too hot for its own good.

I do not know where they were going with this sauce, but could anyone with a familiarity with Egyptian cuisine taste this sauce and think, “Wow! This definitely captures that Egyptian flavor!”

When I opened it for a smell, it suffered from the same predilection as the British Red. An overbearing smell of dehydrated fruit. This time it was raisins. Maybe it’s me…

I put it on my bland food and was immediately hit with heat similar to a standard habanero. As I mentioned in prior posts, there’s a point where flavor outpaces heat. That is the point in which I bail. This sauce goes beyond that point. It’s hot without much flavor. I do not know what I expected with Egyptian, but not this.

Hot Sauce Committee Part Three: British Red

Bottom line up front: It’s ok. Albeit bland and adding nothing to the experience.

What does British food taste like? Without looking at the bottle, I would have guessed fried fish or sausages? Nothing readily comes to mind, unless we’re talking Indian cuisine. I mean, the elephants are a dead giveaway.

When I opened the bottle I got a decidedly non-British or Indian smell. Prunes. Can’t explain it. A strong whiff of prunes. As I ate it, I got the feeling I’d been here before. The flavor was oddly reminiscent of the Fiji one prior. I would not be surprised if all these sauces start from the same base with additions that are considered “worldly”.

The bad thing about this sauce is the flavor, or lack-thereof. It was just bland. It was mild heat and mild flavor. I’ll give it points for not detracting from the overall taste of the dish, but it came to the party with nothing.

Hot Sauce Committee Part Three: Fiji Mango Habanero

Bottom line up front: Don’t come here looking for strong mangoes.

I’m always wary about putting fruit into things that are supposed to be savory and vice versa. Bacon or spicy jam? No thank you. Jello with meat? Sorry, I’ll pass. Aspic, look it up. You won’t be pleased. The Fiji Mango Habanero had a big mountain to climb with my preconceived notions on sweet and savory. Not a bad thing in and of itself, sweet and savory trail mix? Delicious. Salted caramel? A ten.

I put it on some pretty bland food which I’m want to do so I can get the full flavor. A little mango hits you right away, but it’s very faint. Almost as if the makers put some habanero hot sauce in a cup and set it on a counter. Then they grabbed a fan and put it in front of some mangoes next to the sauce and waited for a while. That’s how faint the mango flavor tastes. The star of the show is habanero and it’s not necessarily my thing. There’s a point where spice outperforms the flavor. I’m not sure where the line is, but this sauce crosses it. Too spicy and not enough mango flavor.

Sampler: Making Love in the Rain / Just Another Day

I found Herb Alpert’s Making Love in the Rain through my Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify. No clue why Spotify thought I would like this slow, trumpet-heavy song. Sure, I love me a good 90’s/00’s slow jam, but I assumed this would have none of what makes those songs good. Once I listened, Spotify was not wrong, but I probably would not have sought this song out.

The trumpet plays the melody throughout, but it’s the bass and keyboard that do the heavy lifting that I prefer. The trumpet here is great, but I don’t find it the star of the song. It’s an accompaniment to a great combination of other ingredients. One of which are the female-led vocals. The lyrics are simple and delivered as expected. My take after going back to it after a while is the song is good, not great.

There was a brief time where I was all into the Herb Alpert single above. Then I stumbled onto Queen Latifah’s Just Another Day… and I thought, “Where have I heard that melody before…” Queen Latifah’s song lifts the best part of Making Love in the Rain and it is better for it. The bass of the Queen Latifah’s track is welcome and adds to what I like about Making Love in the Rain: the bass that just washes over you. The track itself is much more rough and tough Queen Latifah than the current family-friendly actor/tv personality. Either way, it’s a great beat made better.

Who did it better?

Queen Latifah. Most definitely. She added that bass that booms with every deep hit that the original can’t match. The lack of trumpet does not make an large impact, which stinks. Just giving more credence to the fact that the trumpet is a nice to have on the original, but not all that required.

Hot Sauce Committee Part Three: The Beginning

This past Christmas, my parents gifted me a package with thirty different hot sauces. Hot sauces from “around the world” it says. I have no doubt that many of these sauces are simply the same sauce with a spice that is indiciative of the region thrown in. Hot sauce plus…. creole spice? Louisiana hot sauce! Hot sauce plus… maple spice? Canadian hot sauce!

I’m always a fan of food gifts, consumables in general really. However, as I grow older I’ve noticed a proclivity for heartburn at the drop of a hat from foods that I was unaware had any spice whatsoever. That being said, I am grateful for the gift and plan to take this opportunity to try as well as discuss my thoughts on all thirty sauces. I’ve got the Pepto handy. Let’s go!

Now Playing: I Love You More - René & Angela

Just like its base heavy brother, I’ll Be Good, Rene & Angela’s I Love You More is an absolute gem. Spotify recommended this song during the heyday of the always-on-point Discover Weekly playlist. Likely a recommendation based on my love of slapping base ala Chic or George Clinton. I assumed nothing could quite live up to its legendary brother. I was right, but this track slaps.

The base line creates a nice bed for the up-tempo classic 80’s synthesizer notes. Emphasized even more during the all too brief bridge. The lyrics are not as memorable as other Rene & Angela songs, however, their delivery is just as good and even more striking. Upon rediscovering this song in my playlist, I considered moving it to Legendary status as so few songs do. It’s not quite there, but it’s damned close.

Fruit Adventure: Pomelo

One of my things this year is to try more fruit. I have always been of the opinion that there is not a lot of fruit and the same ones are always around: apples, grapes, strawberries, bananas… I have never been a huge fan of citrus, but discovered earlier this year about the wonders of the mandarin orange. Sweet and juicy, I can eat four or five in one sitting. However, I digress. The first fruit of the year is the Pomelo. These are kind of intimidating because they are not small. This is a hefty fruit and ran me around $6 for one. Not something I would regularly purchase due to its relatively high cost.

I cut into this fruit and was taken aback with the sheer amount of inedible rind. Rind makes up almost 50% of this fruit! It is similar in color to a grapefruit, which the sticker on the outside eluded to. As I hacked away at the inedible rind, I cut a perfectly edible piece. Granted, the edible piece had lost more than half of its original size due to careful trimming. I watched a video to provide guidance in prep, but the variety was different. The video showed one that looked like a big yellow mandarin orange. The chef prepped it by peeling away the rind, which left most of the fruit intact. Much unlike my own.

The texture is just like any citrus you would expect. Very juicy when bit and kind of chewy. The flavor is exquisite. It is much sweeter than an orange and tastes as if it was genetically spliced with a grapefruit. I do not think I have every gone to a juicer and found pomelo juice. I would definitely eat it again. I would try to get someone else to prepare it however.

Now Playing: M.E. - Gary Numan

Maya and I were watching something on Amazon or Netflix and I heard this song during an end credits sequence to a show I can not remember. I looked it up then quickly forgot about it. In the coming days, I thought nothing of it, but I could vaguely remember a single 80’s looking person on the cover. I began to google single 80’s acts like Billy Idol or Cory Hart. Nothing.

Later I had a flash and remembered the title: M.E. Normally this would have helped, however, Taylor Swift had just released “ME!” ruining SEO for this song. I persisted. It took me a little time, but I finally landed on Gary Numan and this dynamite song.

The beginning synth beat is the best part and I find myself restarting the song midway through just to hear that section again. The song kind of drops off once additional instruments are added to the synth, but it never loses that spark as the beat shines through.

Review: Panera Bread Mac & Cheese

For a good long while, Panera mac has been my go-to whenever I challenge someone’s perception of “What is a good mac and cheese?” On further examination, it’s merely OK.

The picture does not lie, the Panera mac is rather creamy and of a good consistency. The pasta is cooked to near perfection. However, like many pastas, it does not travel well. Eat it outside of the “Dine In” window at your own peril.

I am normally stoked to get some Panera mac (mixing it with Potbelly chili is the perfect flavor combo notwithstanding the extreme gastrointestinal stress one would experience over the following 4-5 hours). This time as I dug in, I noticed a distinct lack of flavor. Maybe it was a bad batch or some one was training on how to make it because they believe it is difficult to screw up. The cheese just did not come through as it had in the past.

I will go back and get it again because I feel that one batch was a fluke, but my patience for bland mac is not unlimited.

Review: Newk's Eatery

The Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich is currently gripping the nation. The quality is very high and as an alternative to Chic-Fil-A, it’s only a plus. My aunt and I went to the local Popeye’s to taste test and it was packed. Unreasonably so. After 10 minutes of waiting in line, the cashier informs us the much sought after sandwich is sold out. The 10-15 cars in the drive-thru were also out of luck but wouldn’t find out till much later when they’re stuck in the funnel. I had no Plan B. Regroup! Enter Newk’s Eatery.

This is my second time here in the last few months or so. It not often disappointing, even though I’ve only gotten a few different items during my time at Newk’s. The Five Cheese Mac & Cheese is terrible. The first time I visited, I ordered a nice big salad which was chock full of greens, meat, and other vegetables. My aunt got the kid’s pizza. This is rather tiny but smelled great. I vowed to get it the next time I went.

Little Newk’s Pepperoni Pizza - While my hand was forced due to only having 700 or so calories left in my day, it was a pleasant situation. This pizza is rather small, but mighty tasty. The flavor is what a pepperoni pizza should taste like. Newk’s has all kinds of other pizza toppings. You needn’t waste time choosing. Now I can only imagine what the big one is like.

Review: Miss Shirley’s

I had been to Miss Shirley’s a few years ago and remembered it being really good. I got something that was market price and really enjoyed it. This visit could not have been more the opposite. The service was kind of slow despite the lack of customers in the dining room and the food was a big meh.

The first thing I noticed was the difficulty in finding a meal or food item that wasn’t super high calories or a breakfast item that was not loaded with sugar. The specials were strawberry kiwi pancakes (I think, I can’t really remember because I was shocked at how much sugar was in these items) and french toast stuffed with key lime cream cheese. I couldn’t find any nutritional information on their menu or website, so calorie counters beware.

BBQ Chicken Fried Deviled Eggs - Everyone at the table was intrigued with the fried deviled eggs, however, no one could eat them for a good five minutes before the server gave us small plates. She thought “they were all for me.” When it came to eating them, I found the egg to overpower the BBQ and the chicken. One goes for deviled eggs for the egg, so I guess I couldn’t expect too much variation from that flavor or formula.

Southern Slammer Sandwich - According to the menu, this sandwich is the “Best Breakfast Sandwich in America, Restaurant Hospitality Magazine.” I have no idea of the competition that year, but the best word to describe this sandwich is “OK.” Pumpernickel has very strong flavor and often overpowers the rest of the ingredients. The other ingredients range from a fried egg to fried green tomatoes. My dinner calories just shrunk to almost nothing after I finished. The fried green tomato was rather watery, but that could be how they are normally. I’ll reserve judgement until I’ve had them solo. I’m not a fan of unwieldy sandwiches and this one was hard to ensure all ingredients remained inside while eating. I would not order this again.

Watermelon Feta Salad - My introduction to the wonders of watermelon continue with this dish. I ordered it as a side instead of grits to cut calories and introduce a little color and vegetable into my meal. After not liking watermelon for the better part of 99% of my life, I’m finally coming around. So far I have yet to eat just straight watermelon. It’s always been served with cheese. I think that’s the way to go. Something savory along with the fruit. This salad had watermelon, feta, cucumber, and onion. Delicious. The best thing I ate during that meal.