Though it’s not nearly as famous, there is a non-New-England kind of clam chowder out there. Instead of the heavy cream or milk, this one is laced with tomatoes and a healthy abundance of other vegetables.

It makes for a lighter chowder, but still a comforting one, especially during frightful weather. This Manhattan clam chowder recipe from Martha Stewart hits all the right notes. There is the porky base, the chunky vegetables, and of course the all-important clams.

Deron Bauman: Gluten-free vegan nachos.

Sheila Ryan: Refreshing lemon dessert.

Or: New England vs. Manhattan clam chowder.

Joel and Deron* have put on something over their jockstraps.

*The one he wears like a mask*.

*To block the image of Michael nesting in Troy Polamalu’s hair*.

*A frequent dream of Deron’s that leaves him feeling oddly aroused.

Originally created by Michael on September 9, 2010 and scheduled to publish the morning following the Super Bowl the post looked like this:

The NFL season has ended

And was changed by Deron on September 12:

I have the strength to say it. Deron, you are the handsomest man I know.

Michael, September 13:

I have the strength to say it. Deron, came on to me and, when I turned him down, he tried to blame the entire incident on his being distraught over the end the NFL season.

Deron, September 14:

What can I say? My lust for Deron outweighs my love even for NFL linemen.

Michael, September 26:

Now that the NFL season is over, Deron might stop talking about Troy Polamalu’s beautiful locks.

Deron, October 1:

I am able to open my heart to the depth of my love for Troy Palamalu’s hair. I want to build a nest in it. A sexual nest.

Michael, October 5:

I figured it out. Troy Palamalu’s hair is less efficient than Deron’s.

Also, the NFL season is over so there’s a chance Deron might take of that helmet and wash his “lucky” jock-strap.

Deron, October 23:

I, Michael Smith, am not wearing pants.

Joel, January 5:

I’m tempted to post the revision history of this post on its own.

Michael, January 10:

Joel and Deron have put on something over their jockstraps.

Deron, February 4:

Joel and Deron* have put on something over their jockstraps.

*Lies! [Deron]

Michael, February 4:

Joel and Deron* have put on something over their jockstraps.

*The one he wears like a mask.

Deron, February 6:

Joel and Deron* have put on something over their jockstraps.

*The one he wears like a mask*.

*To block the image of Michael nesting in Troy Polamalu’s hair.

Happy last day of the NFL Season to all of you!

Errol Morris interviewed competitive eater El Wingador:

El Wingador is a man truly committed to a certain kind of excellence — or at least, a certain kind of excess. Sure, I could have picked a different eating champion, but I guess I have an affinity for chicken. It is evident that chicken is his favorite competition food — particularly chicken wings. I asked him, “Why not hot dogs?” The simple and compelling answer: “Hey, my name is ‘El Wingador,’ not ‘El Hotdogador.’”

So not only did he build the world in seven days and seven nights, but he also said, “OK, let them lose their teeth early, rather than late.”

A short essay animated from the audio recording of ‘The New New Rules: A Funny Look at How Everybody but Me Has Their Head Up Their Ass’.

Directed and Animated by Fraser Davidson.

(thanks, Chris)

It’s funny how when you buy these 2-packs of Grenade Splasherz @ Von’s Grocery Stores (impulse items next to the GIANT $4.49 each size of Red Bull!!!) they carry this warning across the top label: “Do not aim or throw at anyone’s face.”

Much more fun is what it says across the bottom of the label: “Squeeze’em, Soak ‘em, & Throw ‘em!” :^) YAY !!!!!

After we’d talked for a while, we got in my rental car and went for a drive around his ward. “It’s beautiful, but it’s not for us,” Knowles said, as we rode through Harbor Shores. “It’s not for poor people.” I had asked Knowles if he slept at City Hall, and he took me by his house, which he said he rents for about $250 a month. “I don’t sell dope,” he volunteered, explaining how he pays his rent. “I come out and hustle — electrical jobs, cutting grass, whatever.” […]

When I dropped him back at City Hall, Knowles got out of the car and said goodbye, then poked his head back in the passenger window. “Hey,” he said, “can you spare a couple of bucks so I can get myself a bag of chips and a pop?”

This is an excerpt from Jonathan Mahler’s Simon-esque piece on Benton Harbor, Michigan, for the NYT Magazine a few weeks back. The bit above is from a conversation Mahler has with an unemployed Benton Harbor resident who is also a city commissioner for one of the city’s poorest wards.

For those of you who don’t know, I grew up in the area and my family has lived there for a few generations. The article is a longer piece focusing on the city’s socio-economic problems and new divisions over a golf course and property development on Lake Michigan called Harbor Shores, which is hoped to improve the impoverished city’s attractiveness for future investment. The only problem is that most of the developers and proponents for Harbor Shores are affluent and white, while most of Benton Harbor is impoverished and black – oh, and the golf course was built on a chunk of the city’s one nice park at the lakefront.

It’s a feature worth reading and not just because it’s about the clashes between a city’s residents and a group of well-intentioned (if not woefully ignorant) outsiders that believe they can solve deeply-rooted problems of poverty and crime by introducing the game of golf. I like to think it’s also because Mahler turned my old stomping grounds into a moral fable for today’s social, cultural and economic divisions.