One of my biggest issues with the way I constructed this blog was the necessity to define the header and thumbnail image for each post. I knew that there were easier ways to get it done, but I was not able to get the code written before I put the site live.
Before the change, I would have to add the url to the images in to custom fields of each post. If I forgot to add the image or linked to the wrong one, it was quite possible that the world would stop spinning (or it would break the layout, which is just as bad).
The Old Way
I decided to update the php to include a bunch of if statements, which are probably not the best way to solve my issue but it works. The new code basically tells wordpress which image to display based on which category the post is in. This allows me to define the image once and it will replicate for every post. The nice thing about this is that there is one block of code that handles all of the header and thumbnail images. If I need to update the images or tweak the categories, I just have one place to look.
The New Way
I had first used this method when setting up the backend code for Matt Lewis’s Blogfolio. He had needed static images to display based on which page you were on, and I realized I could modify the code to be included inside my loop and it would cut out the hassle of having to define images every time.
I am sure there are very few people that are actually interested in code updates, but if that isn’t geekdom, what it?
It is a Kanye song, remixed by Kanye. How can you not like it?
Kanye makes his big appearance on Storytellers this weekend, so Vh1 is teasing us with the “Stronger” segment in which the Mulleted One strips Daft Punk almost entirely away and conducts his biohazardous drummers through the breakdown — pretty impressive for a song we’ve now heard a billion times. Storytellers airs this Saturday at 9pm Eastern on VideoHits1 – Via The Fader
Street Fighter II’s Zangief has a documentary following the twilght of his post-SFII career, as this brutal expose of one of the Russian wrestler’s lonely New Year’s Eves clearly shows. There are three others in the series, but if you liked this one (and can stand the high-profile man-boobs), I’d recommend just skipping to this one, which features the teen Zangief and possibly the greatest line ever spoken in human history: “Police Academy IV, take Zangief away.” – Via Topless Robot
Tropicana announces they are reverting to old packaging
This surprises me. While I had issues with the new Tropicana packaging, I liked the overall layout. If they had found a way to carry over the old visual language for the different styles of juice (color codes to people not drowning in DAAP), it would have been a more successful rebrand. Everyone has their specific type of juice they like, and the loss of ability to tell at a glance which one they needed to pick up was where the problems were, in my opinion.
The PepsiCo Americas Beverages division of PepsiCo is bowing to public demand and scrapping the changes made to a flagship product, Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice. Redesigned packaging that was introduced in early January is being discontinued, executives plan to announce on Monday, and the previous version will be brought back in the next month. Via – swissmiss
Thanks to Kate for letting Sara and myself take the two open spots she had in her reservation for dinner at Pigall’s. It was an amazing time, and I am glad that I had the chance to experience real fine dining.
I apologize for the poor picture quality. There is only so much that can be done with a camera on a phone in low light. I also failed to get pictures of many of the dishes before the sauce was applied, so the amazing presentation of the food is not accurately represented.
We started the night in Twist, the bar next to Pigall’s, with everyone getting to meet each other and having a cocktail before sitting down to dinner. When the clock struck 9:00 we headed next door to start dinner. We were presented with two choices: the three-course dinner or the Gourman menu. There was no hesitation, everyone agreed that if we were going to do this, we were going to do it right.
There is no picture of the L’Amuse Bouche du Jour, but it was tasty
First Course
The Maine Lobster salad was delicious. It really made me miss the summers I spent in Cape Cod as a child. The lobster and pomegranate together were excellent, and the fennel was really fresh.
Second Course
Foie Gras. Probably one of my new favorite foods. I had it for the first time only a few days prior to eating at Pigall’s when I went to Terry Turf Club. And while the novelty of having Foie Gras on a burger is neat and all, this was properly prepared. I had expected the Foie to be greasy, since that was how I encountered it at TTC, but instead it was a lighter, cleaner flavor. The candied walnuts and duck all combined to be an amazing set of flavors.
A bonus
Since Kate knew another Cincinnati chef who accompanied us to dinner, we were given an extra dish which consisted of a huge scallop on top of fennel, topped with a citrus creme sauce. It is nice knowing people that know people.
Third Course
The cod with blue cheese was probably my least favorite course. The corn and blue cheese worked well together (and is something I am going to add to my home cooking), but I felt the blue cheese fondue masked many of the other flavors in the dish. It was hard for me to cut through the cheese’s punch of flavor to get to the fish. Everyone else really enjoyed it, but it wasn’t my thing.
Fourth Course
This is what sold me to going with the Gourmand menu. The second I saw elk, I knew I had to try it. I was rather surprised when we started eating the elk because I assumed that it would be gamy, but the meat was so tender, it almost dissolved in my mouth. The barley on the apple slice was awesome, and I told Sara it was something she should make every night for me.
Desert
The deserts were amazing. Both chocolate dishes were rich without being too heavy. The red velvet cake was smooth as ice, and the pear tart with pomegranate sorbet was out of this world.
After we had finished our 4 hour dinner (yes, we left Pigall’s around 1am), Jean-Robert came to our table to say hello and thank us for coming. We showered him with the praise he deserved for making such a wonderful dinner, and when we were heading out the door, he stopped a conversation he was having to thank us again and shake all of our hands.
All in all, I am really glad I was able to try real food. I doubt I would be able to eat food that good every day (I was half way in to a food coma by the bonus course), but I now know what can – and should – be done with food. I am also glad that I was given the opportunity to try this gem of Cincinnati, but if it wasn’t for the fact that they are closing in a week, I would never have even considered dining there.
Last night I worked on adding a few more lines to this self-assigned kinetic type project. There is still a long way to go, but I am happy that progress is being made at a steady pace.
