I’ve never quite understood why people throw away pizza crusts.  I have witnessed countless friends and co-workers consume slice after slice, nibbling from the tip to the edge of the crust.  The crust is then summarily left on the plate, pitched in to the trash or fed to a pet.  But why is this?  Why do they dislike the crust?  Is it too crispy…threatening to crack their teeth?  Is it the taste of the dough without toppings that makes them not want to eat it?  I really don’t understand.

As a child, I was a VERY picky eater…so picky in fact, all I would eat was the crust of pizza, I didn’t like the toppings, sauce or cheese!  I remember my grandma cutting the crusts of her homemade pizza so I could have something to eat.  My mom, dad and sister weren’t all too happy to eat their pizza without the crust, but they survived.  Pizza crust is no different from the dough under all of the toppings, it is just left plain to give eaters somewhat of a handle.  It can be crispy or chewy, and should have all of the good qualities of freshly baked bread.

I guess I was taught not to waste food, and would never even consider throwing pizza crust away.  It’s like having a sundae, and throwing away the cherry on top.  Or driving to a store, and going home without even going inside.  To me, the crust is the best part!  

Yesterday I treated my staff to Mary’s Pizza in Lisbon, Ohio…possibly some of the best pizza on earth.  I watched in horror as one of my employees ate a slice, and then tore the crust into pieces and threw it in the trash.  Where do people learn this behavior?  It is truly shocking.  If someone can explain to me a legitimate reason for wasting such a delicious part of the pizza, please do!

 

The poster for "Videodrome" during its initial US release.

Back in 1983, I was very into Blondie and Deborah Harry.  I was familiar with Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” from their 1978 lp “Parallel Lines”, and I bought the 45 rpm single for “Call Me” when it was released in early 1980.  It wouldn’t be until later in that year that Blondie would release “The Tide Is High” as the first single from their “Autoamerican” album.  I bought the single and the album immediately, and thus started my love affair with Debbie Harry and Blondie.  ”Rapture” was an amazing track, and I searched for the French import of the 12″ single for months before I found it.  It featured a complete breakdown of all of the instruments, and then deftly added them one at a time into the saxophone break.  It remains as one of my all-time favorite 12″ mixes.

 

Over the next few years, I would begin to appreciate all of the group’s work including “Eat To The Beat”, “Blondie”, “Plastic Letters” and everything else that had been released up until that time.  As the 80’s moved on, and Blondie released their swan song album “The Hunter” in 1983, Debbie Harry got involved in movies.  She had already made “Union City” earlier in the decade, but it would be “Videodrome” that would be her first major release.  

Although “Videodrome” was not very successful during its initial release in 1983, it would go on to become a cult classic.  David Cronenberg’s “Videodrome” remains as one of my favorite films of the 80’s.  It deals with a mysterious video signal being transmitted that can cause tumors in the brain that cause hallucinations and other bizarre behaviors.  There is much more to it, but I don’t want to reveal too much.

I have watched this movie countless times, and I can say that after every time, I have this dark, sad feeling.  It is somewhat of a depressing film, yet it’s very hard to stop watching.  There are elements of violence, mind control, murder and corporate control in the picture.  Deborah Harry is beautiful as a brunette, and portrays a talk-radio host.  I love the name of her on-air show “The Emotional Rescue Show”.  

Shot in Toronto, Canada, the film has a grim, bleak look to it.  Everything has a murky, cloudy weather look to it.  Some of the special effects are convincing, others are down right disgusting.  The soundtrack is very electronic, yet ominous and creepy.  Even if there are many unanswered questions at the film’s end, it is definitely worth watching.  All of the elements, as shocking as some may be, come together perfectly for an ideal psychological/horror thriller. 

The Criterion Collection DVD version is leaps and bounds better than the Universal DVD release.

Almost immediately after Christmas, three family birthdays fall at the beginning of January.  On the 5th is my nephew Mikey, then the 8th is my Mom, and the 9th is my niece Vanessa’s birthday!  The 9th is also my friend Tony DiCesare’s birthday too.  It’s quite a hustle, but this year I managed to get everybody cool presents (I hope!), wrapped them, and made sure everyone got a nice card.  I framed an old print of me and my Mom as one of her gifts.  It’s my favorite picture of the two of us.  My parents didn’t think they would have any children after my Mom’s first miscarriage in 1967.  But, lo and behold, I came along in August of 1968.  This picture makes me happy, because I can see the joy on my Mom’s face, with her first born.  

In any event, I just wanted to drop every one a note…and to those that have January birthdays…HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  I am headed back to laundry and cleaning now.  What better way to spend an incredibly snowy weekend…with the scent of Gain wisping through the house!

So many of my friends and co-workers are terrified of pressure cookers.  Perhaps in the past there was a lot to fear about the potential “time-bomb” on your stovetop, but today’s models are pretty safe…if you follow the directions.  My mom has used pressure cookers for as long as I can remember, and my grandmothers used them too.  Now the stories of them exploding and spraying sauce all over the ceiling are true, accidents can happen.  But, like I said, if you follow the instructions, all is good.  And, today’s pressure cookers have many safety devices built in.

  Instead of rubber, silicone is used to make the sealing gaskets, and most have an emergency pressure release valves.

In any event, I find using the pressure cooker can save hours of cooking time, and create delicious, healthy meals, in a fraction of the time!  I would recommend getting a stainless-steel pressure cooker, as aluminum can sometimes pit if you make tomato sauce in it.  If you plan on cooking for groups or parties, get a 6 or 8 quart model.  Surprisingly, I found a very nice model at Aldi, of all places.  

If any of you decide to try pressure cooking, drop me a note, and I can pass on some really good recipes!  Until next time, think thoughtful thoughts, and be nice.

I really like using both liquid fabric softener in the wash, and then follow up with dryer sheets. I don’t know if this is overkill, but I like the softness of the clothes. Especially towels and bed linens.

 

Gain Fabric Softener!

My favorite liquid softener is Gain, and I absolutely love the scent. Tide is fantastic too, but only the wealthy can afford it…Why is Tide so expensive?

 
Why did gasoline go up nearly 40 cents in the past two weeks? I think it’s a racket…or a conspiracy to keep Americans and the economy in the crapper…

Just some random thoughts before I go to bed.

 

Store closings in the Mahoning Valley draw out the bargain shoppers.

This Phar Mor on Elm Road in Warren, Ohio closed a few years back. It is now a fitness center/bargain hardware store.

I have always been somewhat dismayed when retail or restaurant chains go bust.  In this cruddy economy, I fear that many more chains will fall by the wayside.  One of the casualties of the 2008 crash is Steve and Barry’s, a clothing retailer that sold inexpensive T-shirts, jeans, logowear and collegiate items.  It arrived in our area, the Eastwood Mall in Niles, Ohio about 2 years ago.  It was expansive, and well lit.  Their selection of printed T-shirts was rivaled only by the huge vendors on coastal boardwalks.  There was always something cool, retro or trendy on their shelves and racks.  At first, the chain announced they were closing underperforming stores, but by year-end, they were folding entirely.

The Eastwood Mall store was liquidated to the bare walls by the end of 2008, and now it is totally empty.  I had thought that the entire chain would be gone by now, as to avoid the 2009 fiscal year of accounting.  Much to my surprise, the store at Chapel Hill Mall in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio (one of my favorite shopping haunts) was still open.  My friend and I hustled in, and found it still full of clothes, fixtures and mannequins…and plenty of shoppers.  There were many bargains to be had, shirts for a buck, jeans for $3, coats for $3, and much more.  As I watched the shoppers pick through the merchandise it made me draw a parallel between where I live (in the Warren/Niles/Youngstown area) and the Akron market.

As I grew up, I partook in many store-closing sales for many of my favorite chains: Hills, Zayre, Murphy’s Mart, Best Products, Phar Mor and several others.  It seemed to me that in my area, the shoppers were like birds of prey…picking the stores to the very bones, leaving nothing left but an empty carcass of a store.  Almost scavenger-like, I watched (and sometimes partook in) scuttles over merchandise, and vividly remember loading an entire buggy full of stuff (including a bowling ball) at a closing K-Mart all for $10.  The shoppers in Akron didn’t seem to be as desperate for the bargains, as they leisurely ruffled through the clothing.  At the Niles Steve and Barry’s, I saw one woman buy 10 Michigan jackets.  She was either going to sell them somehow, or wear them until she croaked.  I didn’t see that type of frantic buying in Akron.

In any event, I did manage to get a few bargains for me and my family.  I feel sad for the employees of the Steve and Barry’s chain, and I sincerely hope that they are all able to find jobs.  I worked for two chains that ended up closing, Best Products and Stambaugh’s Home Improvement.  I know what it’s like to see a place you’ve worked in for years be emptied, sit vacant and then become something else.  My advice…take a trinket or two from the store to remember.  It may not seem important now, but years later, you will appreciate it.

After looking for a particular CD for nearly 3 hours, I found it! It’s difficult sometimes, with a large collection, to find certain discs. I need to revamp my shelving system!

 

The 1984 Casablanca Records release from Stephanie Mills, "I've Got The Cure."

Although I was somewhat familiar with Stephanie Mills from her disco days, I was formally introduced to her with 1984’s “The Medicine Song”.  Cleveland, Ohio’s WDMT FM-108 was my favorite station, and they had switched over from disco to r&b/funk.  R&B in the 1980’s was filled with really cool stuff…Mtume, Skyy, Aretha, Gladys Knight, Atlantic Starr, Midnight Star, The Gap Band, Yarbrough & Peoples and many, many more.  I listened to Carol Ford’s morning show getting ready for school, and always listened to WDMT when I got home, while doing homework.  In any event, WDMT began playing Stephanie Mills’ “The Medicine Song” in the late summer/early fall of 1984.  I loved it IMMEDIATELY.

 

The frantic bassline, courtesy of composer/producer David “Hawk” Wolinski would inspire me and my songwriting (I write music too) for years to come.  From the beginning to end, “The Medicine Song” is a perfect slice of eighties r&b/dance, including the lyric “Mama’s gonna give you some medicine.”  I got the “I’ve Got The Cure” album for Christmas of 1984, and to this day, love the bright red cover with Stephanie dressed as a nurse!  Very fun and colorful.  I also bought the 12″ single for “The Medicine Song” which boasts one of the best remixes of its time…offering a complete breakdown of the bassline, removal of some of the Linn drums, then adding them back at the exact right moment.  For those of you wondering, you can get the 12″ remix of “The Medicine Song” on a few 3-disc remix compilations from Europe…

The overall album was pretty good, although none of the tracks matched the intensity of “The Medicine Song.”  The second single culled from the release was “Edge of the Razor”, which wasn’t as big of a hit as “The Medicine Song”, but I do recall Ms. Mills performing it on Solid Gold!

In addition to the 45, 12″s of “The Medicine Song” and “Edge of the Razor” and the vinyl lp, I also purchased the 8″ LaserDisc called “Television Medicine” which featured the video to “The Medicine Song”, “Pilot Error” and another track from the disco days.  The video is fun, with Stephanie as a nurse once again…dancing up a storm.  I also really liked during the transformation scene in the video, where she goes from a nurse to a dancing diva, her shoes turn to silver slippers (a la “The Wiz, in which Stephanie starred as Dorothy on Broadway.)

I was record shopping one day in the early 1990’s and was looking through the cut-out cds.  Low and behold I found “I’ve Got The Cure” in the mix.  It was a German pressing on Polygram, and I snapped it up.  As it turns out, it has become fairly rare, and sells for quite a bit on eBay. 

So, after that long-winded explanation, now you know why I ripped this cd into my iPod.  Stephanie Mills “I’ve Got The Cure”, a perfect slice of 80s’ r&b/dance/pop.