Am enjoying the world of Charlie Chaplin as told by Glen David Gold in Sunnyside.

Particularly interesting are the references to the Athletic Club, Mr. Chaplin's home early on in Hollywood. His Athletic Club bears quite a resemblance to my Athletic Club. They have reciprocal membership and the buildings date from the same era.

Athletic Clubs:





Los Angeles and Milwaukee.



The vintage photographs have you wondering if you're in California or in Wisconsin.






But maybe the bowling gives it away that you're in Milwaukee. The above ballroom is Los Angeles though and how similar it is to Milwaukee's.

I have a little bit of a hard time accepting that Milwaukee has such a pervasive rube reputation. But then I can be reminded (quite harshly I might add) as I click through the blogosphere.

Just tonight I come across this preoccupation with crap places featuring Milwaukee and that was about a half-hour after this little slap in the face. Go ahead: punch "Milwaukee" into the search box and you'll get these two (brewski-referenced) heartaches:

BREWED

I want you in my life so bad, I’d move back to Milwaukee. And I hate Milwaukee.

BREWSD?

It’s been four years, and merely seeing the word “Milwaukee” leaves me feeling bruised.

Does everybody deplore Milwaukee?

Therapy From Dusk to Dawn

All-Night Care for Dementia’s Restless Minds

Whatever gets you through the night.

June is Busting Out All Over

See those biased-cut asparagus stems? That's what I learned this week from Heidi Swanson's blog, 101 Cookbooks. I've done the diagonal cut with carrots and summer squash forever; makes everything cook faster and looks pretty, but I've always just done asparagus as a whole spear.

Go Diagonal with your Asparagus!

This was my quick, cheap and so delicious supper last night:

sauteed onion, yellow squash and asparagus - - tender tips on their own, stalks cut as elongated coins on the diagonal.

1/3 bag of Quorn, which is described as Quorn, a non-animal protein made from fungus. I don't know what it is but it's not meat nor dairy nor soy and coupon.mom has supplied me with a slew of half-off coupons for it. PFF for sure. That's chicken-style hunks of Quorn in the top photo.

Asparagus was way-cheap. Just there for the picking.