As many of you know, my nutrition is based on the Paleo diet and one of the best snacks to have is jerky. The problem is that most commercial stuff contains so many extra shit and preservatives that the health benefit is muted. Because of this I'm going to attempt to find the best jerky around.
---- PCC Beef Jerky - Original
Where to buy: PCC Natural Markets Cost: $5.99 for 4oz Nutrition facts: serving size 1oz servings per container: 4 cal 90 total fat 1.5g sodium 380mg total CHO 7g, sugar 7g protein 11g Ingredients: beef, sugar, water, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, salt, flavorings (wtf?), paprika, natural smoke flavor, citric acid
Tastes good, a nice balance of sweet and salty and some pieces aren't too chewy- just like I like it. It's moist and has a bit of sauce of left on some pieces, which I love. Says it's best if consumed within 3 days, which is good because then there isn't really any preservatives (some food products advertise no preservatives but can last for weeks on end). Made somewhere in Idaho.
Me likes! And now I need some more macadamia nuts!
In future reviews I will be sharing local restaurants and eateries. Cafes & coffeeshops, happy hour joints, and family-style food stops will all receive the following criteria:
Location: Neighborhood, City
Price Range: $/$$/$$$
Type: What kind of cusine do they serve?
Known For: If they are popular for anything, it'll go here.
Description: Describing the eatery, atmosphere and
Staff: I'll give my take on the staff as a whole and/or specific people you'll want or want to avoid!
Like I've been mentioning for a couple of weeks now, The Foreign Exchange (Phonte and Nicolay) have released their second LP, Leave It All Behind [buy here]. Although same in tone, it is a departure from Connected in the fact that the majority of this album is R&B-ish, with very few raps (two to be exact).
They released the track "Daykeeper (feat. Musinah)" as a single and I've been addicted to it since. The official video was just released:
"If you missed my interview with Tay a few weeks ago, we talked a lot about how part of the beauty of Leave It All Behind is that it’s so open to interpretation. I think the same can be said for this video. One thing’s for sure though, it’s wild how a song like this can really change your mood everytime you hear it.
Peep that interview with Phonte right here and be sure to stay up to date with everything FE on their site."
I love albums that tell stories. That, in my opinion, is a big part of music- creating an soundscape with a concept and telling something beautiful that one can relate to/with.* I prefer to call most "albums" that are all singles + filler "complations".
If you didn't see my original post about this track, I believe it to be a "morning after" ballad where two lovers lay in each others presence enjoying a moment together, wishing it'd stay forever, but know nothing golden can stay. The second song featuring Darien Brockington moves a little faster with a nice flowy guitar riff and Phontes amazing well-placed vocal arrangements. Story-wise looks as if the two are trying to get on that next level of a relationship, but it seems the lady is hesitant and the guy is trying to convince her to listen to her heart and take a chance before it's too late. It ends with one of many transitional beats throughout the album. (I like to think that it's a bunch of time passing.)
Track 3 starts with Tay ad-libbing his side of an argument. It looks like he and his lady are now together, but she's angry at him for something couples argue about and it looks like he's going to be sleeping on the couch. He and D-Brock reassure the miss that it's not that bad and we all have to go through some shit, "it's part of the game". The notorious beat change comes and he wants to let her know that he comes home to her.
Our guy questions the lady if she'll put her trust in him and give him her all. To share both good and bad, because he appreciates her. One of my favorite tracks, "House of Cards" seems like a warning to the listeners: "I've seen the sorrow you were meant for/ Your house of cards is gonna fall," Looks like the dude is scared of something. He's "practiced every word, rehearsed every line", but is still doubtful about the situation. We're all familiar- lying, or even worse, not speaking up in relationships ruin them.
Our nararator ponders his admiration for his lover. It's aptly titled and he questions what could be "Sweeter Than You"? Love is a losing game and although he's been at this point before he still choses to put his feeling on the table. "This is a game we play to lose and still I chose you". Cue another time-passing interlude beat.
The valedition plays. Even after all of the trust the guy put out there, it looks like it wasn't going to work out. "She loves me" is chanted throughout the latter half of the song. Why? Is he trying to reassure himself even though it's not working? Or does he know that regardless of it not working now, she definitely still loves him and maybe, after time, they'll later be together happily ever after? The beat plays out in reverse and fades.
Only after losing something do we realize how important something was to us. "Out of touch, wasiting time, my heart... If this is love" is sung over a very 2-step garage beat. Both the lady and the guy think and wonder through a fluttery soundscape. It's bubbly and the two may be dreaming of trying to get to each other. You might recognize the next one as a slower cover of the Kimberly Brewer jam off of Stevie Wonder's Jungle Fever album. Our lady then sings that her "love is gone with yesterday", but wants the man to know that she still cares (loves?) him, and will keep him in her heart. "Laughing, loving, sharing, caring/ seemed to be made just for us two/ But I kept building this dream world/That I thought was you and I" Seems she has made up her mind. Phonte goes off into a jazz freestyle as Nicolay puts the time signature into double-time. Time passes by again...
It looks like they are back together and the troubles they went through developed their relationship into something strong. They've been guided together again, their paths joined as one. Phonte starts the track laughing and Musinah goes into how it feels so new and so fresh and so exciting. D-Brock sums the song up with his verse:
I like the place you take me A place of love and safety Your love's all I wanna know Darling you're such a blessing A love refreshing You're the one I've waited for
Phonte ends the track with a dope rhyme and Musinah sings some ad-libs that, when mixed with the music, give this song a very "hopeful" feel. There's another interlude instrumental, meaning more time has passed. The man now sings a song to their child. We romance the idea that life is supposed to be nice and easy and fun, but it's obviously not. We deal with hardships and things that dissapoint us, but make us stronger and provide us things to learn from. A quote I've posted before brings it all around for me:
"The iron ore feels its self needlessly tortured as it goes through the furnace. The tempered blade looks back and knows better."
We learn from experience. We learn a lot more quickly when we're burned in the process. The dude and the lady went through hard times, but returned to their feet over time and stronger than ever. We don't all get there, but it's goal we can and should shoot for.
Nicolay pulls off some great stuff on the album. The entire album can be considered R&B, but listening to it leads you to hear some downbeat, jazz, hip hop, electronic, UK garage, and soul. Leave It All Behind hit #6 R&B record on iTunes and #1 record on Amazon the first week it was released. There was a crazy reception to the album. Phonte said on the Gordon Gartrell Radio podcast [Episode 10]: "Damn, like all these years of rapping and an R&B album be my #1 shit."
This album is attached to me emotionally already. Not only is the music beautiful, but the lyrics are wonderful. Tay is defintely a talented music with his vocal arrangements throughout the album. I RECOMMEND YOU BUY THIS NOW and get a physical copy. You'll get that instrumental disc and the linear notes.
Ok, I realize that this was little review, more interpretation, but dammit- this is my blog.
* Another reason I love music is because it usually speaks to me and my soul. The events that I interpret happening on this album ring eerily true to situations I've been going though recently as well. This is art imitating life at it's finest. Not to mention I love the actual music and it puts me in the perfect somber mood.
This week's episode "I Am Become Death" was a decently good. Then again, it's the only episode I've watched in full. I still haven't watched the entire 2-hour season premiere, nor the first half of the second and third episodes. Season 3 is definitely already better than Season 2- it's moving much faster with a better sense of purpose. I don't know if they have a proper story. It seems as if they're re-hashing S1's storyline, although different players are involved.*
I'ma do like AICN and do a bullet-point review (SPOILERS! BEWARE!):
Peter takes Peter four years into the future where Future Peter explains that anyone can have powers. Folk in business suits on the street are seen flying. Future Peter also shows our Peter a newspaper headline of a powered person causing an massive earthquake disaster. Folk in the future aren't as responsible as present Peter thinks
Future Peter shows our Peter some graf on a building and tells him that to save them from this future that our Pete needs Sylar's power. Suddenly Future P is shot dead by Future Claire (with power-blocking Haitian in hand). Since Peter is Rocky's son, he using his agility to jog away and dodge bullets! Looks like the Haitian, Claire, Knox and Daphne are all in league now as they stand over a dead Future Peter. Present Peter runs to Isaac'sMohinder's pad to find Sylar. Mohinder's all fucked up, explaining his formula was wrong and it's left him all emo and mutated. He doesn't want to tell Peter where he is, but alas! Peter has the mind-reading ability and hears Mohinder say "Costa Verde" in his head. Peter transports. In another piece of bad writing we see that Daphne is Matt's wife and Molly's new mommy.
Hey! It's the Bennet house- but wait for it! It now belongs to a Daddy Sylar?! Peter is greeting by a youngster named Noah. He runs to his dad who is making pancakes or waffles or something delicious. A confused Peter talks with Sylar in the other room. Sylar, now wanting to be called Gabriel, says that he understands that his power will always have "the hunger" and it'll make Peter a killer. He also reveals that they are brothers. The only thing stopping Sylar is his son (and maybe a wife we haven't seen?). Pete says he wants it (pause) and Gabe says all he has to do is fix his watch to understand his power of 'intuitive aptitude' Anywho, Claire's squad shows up and a fight ensues. Peter knocks Claire on her ass and then he and Daphne fight. Knox threatens Gabriel, but Gabriel doesn't fear. Knox uses Noah's fear and uses throws Gabriel to harm his child. As Noah's lifeless body sits in Gabriel's lap he becomes unstable (see: Radioactive Peter via S1) and blows up.
President Nathan Patrelli and first lady Tracy (forreal?) announce the tragedy of Costa Verde. Our Peter wakes up in the same room as the dead Future Peter with Claire and the Haitian. Future Claire is very angry and Matrix-esque starts cutting Peter with a scalpel before being stopped by her pops the president. Nathan makes everyone leave and he starts loosening up Peter's constraints. He starts talking to his younger bro when Peter interrupts and, in a very Sylar-like fashion, states how Nathan thinks and works. The hunger is now in Peter. Peter slams his brother into the wall and starts cutting his older brother's head. Before the ritual is completed, Peter realizes what he's doing and stops but it's too late- his brother is dead. Pete teleports back to Sylar's room at Level 5 present day and Sylar can tell Peter he has the hunger.
Ando and Hiro are also being held by the company. After some bonding and an attempt to escape, the Haitian brings the two before Mama Petrelli. She explains that the two formulas put together can give anyone powers (smell the connection?). The new boss of the Company also says that Hiro can right this wrong by bringing someone back.
That someone is TakezoKensei aka Adam Monroe. OHSHITSON!
Next week's episode will be entitled "Angels and Monsters" and deals with Claire wanting to fight villains, one being a new character who apparently can cast black holes. I want Elle back in the episodes! Mmm.
*Both Peter and Matt see the future and it's apocalypse (Isaac and Hiro from S1). Nathan is president, Tracy/Niki his lover (S1). There are more parallels, but they're escaping me right now.
My name is Andrew and I'm a CrossFitter. I train myself as well as others. Music (hip hop foremost, but I'm a fan of everything) and Health & Fitness are paramount to me. I'm also a hugh STAR WARS fan.
"Sick Sad Little World" by Incubus was originally titled "Turbo Geek" when it was just an instrumental. Lyrics were written and the title changed. I think it describes me well.
