T9? Bingo!

What would a cellphone be like without T9 software (for rapid Text Messaging)? I've found this hard to describe without giving an example. On non-T9 phones, you spell HELLO like this: 44(pause)33(pause)555(pause)555(pause)666 while on T9 (often called Predictive Text) you simply type 43556 (8 fewer characters). T9 means "text on nine keys", for you trivia freaks. T9 isn't perfect, but it's a vast improvement over the alternative. I find myself turning it off when I have to send a number as part of a message, but otherwise leave it enabled.

It's really rare that I buy every CD from a given artist, so I was a bit surprised to find out that I own 8 of Alpha Blondy's 9 works (mostly on the Shanachie label). The one I don't own is his Greatest Hits CD (I typically avoid those, if I have the others). His music starts in 1988 and continues to his most recent 2002 stuff; there are 9 CDs total (well, 10 - since Paris Bercy is a double CD).

I like the eGullet website, and was amused to see them interview Ted Allen (see interview parts one and two). Ted is the "food & wine component" of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy). In the interview, Ted casually mentions a CIA trained chef and I immediately had images of a foie gras with a hidden camera. Instead, Ted was talking about the Culinary Institute of America. Oh, the other CIA: gotcha.

Today's New Year's Day, so it's time to drag out the black-eyed peas. Not being from the South myself (unless you consider southern California part of Dixie), I somehow wandered across a mention of Hoppin' John, so (typical me) I had to find the history: The Story of Hoppin' John. Yesterday, I consumed my traditional last-day-of-the-year meal: Eggplant Parmesan (from Cedarlane Natural Foods).