Nova Clutch

Adobe Creative Suite 3.3 Updates, Crashes and Bugs

Since updating my Adobe CS2 to CS3.3 last week, it seems as though almost all of my creative time and energy has been spent reading tech blogs, downloading patches and updates, resolving conflicts, getting advice from geeky friends and asking myself, why so many bugs?

After all, we do pay a hefty price for these licensed products, but still, it is not remotely close to the price I have paid in terms of billable hours and emotional stress. Good lord, is this the plague we have brought upon ourselves? Are the four horsemen now called; Update, Restart, Patch and Crash? Is Adobe a cleverly conceived acronym for the Antichrist? Are the locust coming trough the Airport Extreme?

Thankfully my soul was saved during rebooting pilgrimages to our terrace to enjoy the analog world of our garden. While observing the tangible fruits of my labor, the result of simple mulching and watering, I was met with more bugs. Dragonflies to be precise. (Not to be confused with the damselfly, which holds their wings behind them when at rest, while the dragonfly keeps them perpendicular to their body.)

Although ancient and sinister in appearance (compared to the modern and inviting branding of the Adobe Suite), these cold blooded creatures are a welcome sight since they spend their days devouring mosquitoes, midges and various other insects that hurt our plants and give Natasha giant throbbing welts all over her body. And unlike Adobe Suite, they are friendly, helpful and don't waste my time or money.

Mmmm...pie...

There's nothing like a seasonal fruit pie to bring people together. I was lucky enough to be joined on my roof by a handful of friends willing to share it with me and to stick out the 100 degree weather we are having in New York.

"I wish the pie was bigger", I said. "Bigger, like the size of a Volvo" said Melissa. Yes.

Download 20080720_dess_blueberrypie.pdf

Amai Tea & Bake House

On a busy avenue in a nondescript neighborhood that's not quite the East Village and definitely not Gramercy Park, Amai Tea & Bake House is an oasis of taste. While they offer a wide array of tea and herbal infusions, the real star is the baked goods. Tea is incorporated into most of their handmade goodies, but the infusion is subtle and never heavy handed. The slight bitterness of Earl Grey accents the sweetness of the currants. White tea mellows a strawberry cookie; rooibos tea and vanilla are incredibly smooth and sweet. My all time favorite? Hojicha sesame. A winning combination of roasted green tea and carmelized sesame  seeds. Not too sweet, a little savory, perfect with a cup of anything. And the packaging is beautiful, too, making Amai's cookies the perfect present to pick up on your way to a dinner party, baby shower, or for movies in the park with friends.

Rosemary flatbreads

I made flatbreads the other morning before going off for a consulting job, as these guys were coming over for dinner that night. Good thing I did – they came straight from the Fancy Food Show and brought with them about 10lbs of paté. And 8lbs of Valrhona chocolate. I'm going to make flatbread more often if that's what I get in return!

Shukshuka: A Little Love from the Middle East

Shukshuka; A Little Love from the Middle East

Late morning, July 4th. Consumed by fatigue, dehydration and light headiness brought on by a lack of sustenance. Racked by the din of mixing mixers, a churning ice cream maker and the pumping beat of Crazy Penis, a subtle knock on the door. A peep through the peep hole revealed none other other than our man from Tel Aviv, the architect of better living, the father of two and a half, Dedy.

I opened the door, and with outreached arms he offered up the best thing to come out of the Middle East since the pizza bagel. Behold Shukshuka, a balanced mixture of tomatoes, onions, peppers, spices and herbs that is completed by a special buried surprise in the form of an egg with yoke intact. A side of houmous and a piece of perfectly grilled bread rounded out this moment of divine intervention. A simple dish, a simple gesture to savor and celebrate.

How I brought myself to share this bounty with Natasha is beyond me, but I did bite for bite. It was just enough satisfaction and energy to keep us going until our 4th of July all-American pork fest on the terrace. Just another example of our building being the gastronomic heart of Brooklyn. What a country, what a building, what a dish.