A Tuesday Night Memo: Thoughts on turning nine

My blog, “A Tuesday Night Memo,” turns nine later this month.

People who know me well know that I've been interested in writing, reporting and storytelling for a long time. So, it's only natural that I turned to blog writing because it gave me an opportunity to hone my writing skills and provided a forum for writing about things that truly interested me that I wanted to share with others.

Here’s a little history about my blog:

I started writing “A Tuesday Night Memo” on January 26, 2010, as a means for sharing musings about my life filled with music, sport, and urban travel, and to foster community with my friends, family and Facebook acquaintances. More recently, I added a Twitter profile, which has allowed me to reach a wider audience across the country and the world.

People who read my blog know that I'm passionate about music, sport, and urban travel. Additionally, I have used “A Tuesday Night Memo” as a vehicle for writing about art, food, fashion, religion and gardening – and, in the age of Trump, about politics. Before we moved to the east coast, sharing news and photos about our former Oakland, Calif., flower gardens at home always seem to generate great interest and enthusiasm. Maybe, it was the pretty shapes and colors of our flowers that others found appealing, especially since we could maintain a garden all year long.

Up to now, I have "blogged" 439 entries for “A Tuesday Night Memo,” which collectively have received more than 161,700 page views. Among many subjects I have written about, some of my favorites have been: my appreciation of tennis champion Roger Federer; how the city of Seattle fosters community through international cinema; a history of the world as seen through 100 objects; classical music conductor Gustavo Dudamel; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr; my music love affairs with Pink Martini and Elvis Costello; validating our travel through our photographs; and Jerry Seinfeld's Internet comedy Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.

Among my recent posts, I have written about the Golden Globe-winning film “Roma”; the humanitarian work of Washington, D.C. chef José Andrés; and recent books written by American historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Jon Meacham. Also, I have shared my interest in digital photography since beginning my blog, which has enabled me to illustrate many if not all of my posts with colorful visuals to match the words I've written.

The feedback I have received not only is very much appreciated, but I also find it very useful. Much of it has been positive, but sometimes it's also been critical. Whether good or bad, I've found the feedback readers provide to be a valuable learning tool. Occasionally, I like to sneak a look at my blog's statistics, which are the key indicators that show how many total "hits" my blog has received, which stories have been read the most, and what countries comprise the blog's readership. The numbers are modest but nevertheless interesting.

Here are a few fun facts about “A Tuesday Night Memo” I thought you might enjoy:

• Since my blog's debut, it has been read in dozens of countries, including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, France, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey and Hong Kong – even Brazil, India, Vietnam, and Australia. The top five countries reading my blog include the U.S, Russia, United Kingdom, Germany and France. I hope Russia's interest in my blog has nothing to do with their wanting to hack me because of my occasional blog posts about President Donald Trump.

Looking ahead, two years since he was inaugurated, the Trump presidency continues to garner my interest and attention from time to time. How could it not? However, there's so much more to write about. Among things that I look forward to learning about include my continuing interest in exploring museums – and what we can learn from them. Also, I would like to explore the effect digital music and media have in connecting our world.

In the meantime, I thoroughly enjoy sharing my writing week in and week out, and I look forward to contributing more of my words and thoughts in what is shaping up to be another exciting year awaiting all of us.

Stay tuned! 

Thoughts on food: Fix me a plate, please

On “Fix Me a Plate,” world-renowned chef Alex Guarnaschelli’s weekly web series, the quintessential New Yorker shows us in delightful four-and-five-minute bites that she knows just where to go for a truly New York food experience.

Guarnaschelli, a Food Network star recognized for her work as a "Chopped" judge and an "Iron Chef," has selected old-school cafes and restaurants throughout New York’s five boroughs to highlight on “Fix Me a Plate.” These are places where one can still get fresh and authentic, quality-made dishes. Most of these are no-frills establishments – hangouts, if you will – that are filled with longtime traditions and plenty of charm.

In each episode, Guarnaschelli explores a different iconic New York eatery “that has built its success on a confidence and connection to doing things the way they’ve always been done.”

In the first six episodes of “Fix Me a Plate,” Guarnaschelli visits Lucali – think best pizza in Brooklyn – then, follows it with soulful chicken and waffles at Amy Ruth’s in Harlem. Need we say more? She also stops by Tanoreen in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, for traditional Middle Eastern cuisine, and Nom Wah Tea Parlor, a Chinatown delight that serves a variety of treats from egg rolls to almond cookies. Finally, there’s Indian samosas at Dhaka in Queens, and Russ and Daughters on the Lower East Side for bagels piled high with cream cheese and lox.

Recently, “Fix Me a Plate” returned with a new season of shows that so far has served up Polish pierogi at Krolewskie Jadlo in Williamsburg, Brooklyn; tacos at Rockaway Beach Surf Club on Long Island, and doughnuts at the Donut Pub in Chelsea. Also, there’s been Thai at Brooklyn’s Pok Pok, the knock-out combo of Sicilian-style square pizza and Italian spumoni ice cream at Spumoni Garden in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn; and chopped liver at Sammy’ Roumanian in lower Manhattan. This week, “Fix Me a Plate” introduced viewers to the Original Crab Shanty in City Island by the Bronx for a family-style portion size of pasta with crabs and lobster.

Asked via Twitter if she has a favorite episode of “Fix Me a Plate,” Guarnaschelli tweeted, “Spumoni Garden obviously. Also love Sammy’s Roumanian and a couple of others that haven’t aired yet.”

New episodes of “Fix Me a Plate” debut weekly on the show’s Facebook page on Monday evenings.