Lexicon was recommended by a white haired Neal Stephenson fan at an airport bookstore after being queried for a new Science Fiction read. Tightly constructed, Lexicon is actually a thriller bolstered by fast paced action writing tempered with just enough social/media commentary and academic hypertext to feel like more than just popcorn fluff without getting bogged down by theory. Centering around the student of a Hogwarts-esque school (if Hogwarts specialized in a nefarious mind control curriculum for blossoming con artists), the story cross-cuts between a mysterious amnesiac, and an enigmatic bounty hunter. The prose is better than expected and often emotionally resonant in ways that contributes to our understanding of the characters within the framework of an unexpected romance or coming of age. Meanwhile, the premise hovers just in the background - context at large - degrading communication in the the age of mass media and how the widespread dissemination of personal information is used as a performative, manipulative, semiotic attack on self agency. The ties between the two are tenuous, as the heady stuff is to the plot, but overall a fun, cohesive enough, ride

Incredibly dense and hyper prescient, Synners reflects the sensory overload of a dystopian cyberpunk world on the cusp of technological/biological revolution. Cadigan sometimes lost me in a grimy industrial haze of transistor underbelly, Machiavellian corporate, digital world building confusion. But the book builds like a fever dream and the pain is worth the tox, ie trip, and by trip I mean technology is the next literal new drug. Save your synapses for this read.

This is my favorite way to cook a steak... crisp in oil and then baste in seasoned butter. The variations are endless.

Hominy
Dried or Canned

Soak and cook according to source. Start ahead of time if using dried and do give hominy a hard covered boil for at 30 minutes. 

Adobo
1 guajillo
5 cascabel
5 ancho
4 new mexico
1 onion
10 garlic

Wipe chilies with damp towels. Cut off stems, shake out seeds and snip roughly into smaller pieces. Toast in a preheated 400 degree oven for 4 min. Soak for 30 minutes minimum barely covered by boiling water. Puree everything in a blender. 

Meat
salt
cumin
1 lb pork neck or spare ribs
1 lb ham hock
2 lb pork shoulder/butt 

Stock
1 onion 
4 garlic
chicken stock or water
1 bay leaf

Fry onion and garlic until fragrant and slightly browned. Return meat to pot, add adobo, and cover generously with liquid of choice. Bring to a boil, then leave on high simmer partially covered for maximum 3 hours.

Sides
lime 
mexican oregano
avocado
radish
cilantro
vinegar cabbage slaw
Notes on Timing

• The bag of dried Rancho Gordo Hominy was a disappointment - kernels were very desiccated in the middle, discolored and misshapen. Nothing like the photos of the product they have online. It took at last 16 hours of soaking and 5+ hours to cook. About 45-60 minutes of cooking was at a hard boil with the cover on. Flowering took much longer than expected and the results were not as tender/juicy or sweet/corny as I would like. 
• Meat was soft at about 2.5, but at about 3 hours the meat was melty, which I prefer.
• One way to get the timing right is to cook the hominy separately and add to posole at the last moment so you can control the textures. In the latter scenario, blending a cup of hominy and adding to the pot thickens and adds a bit of corn flavor back into the soup. My preference is to give the dried hominy (depending on quality) a head start for at least 2 hours in the stock water. 
• Feel free to use a different combination of chilies. Nopalito uses about 6 oz of ancho chilies.
• Feel free to use a different composition of meat. The pork foot gives the soup a rich, thick texture. Limiting to only pork shoulder results in a finished texture that is clean.

SMTM is about my favorite reality game show ever, pairing known hip hop artists with rookies or up and coming pro rappers for the title of best rapper. I started watching since Season 3 and am an avid fan of the personalities, dramas, and talents. While there have been some fun songs and performances in the past, notably by Bobby and Oltii, Season 5 has showcased a handful of truly notable stages where the producers really brought out the best in their contestants.

ONE - "Be Comfortable", SMTM5
Rapping about overcoming obstacles in a personal way is a staple K-pop trope and extremely effective with audiences, but, in a word, Boring. This performance was atypical in that the standard emotional rap was paired with a surprisingly sexy backing track and a breezy rather than tortured delivery. While this performance didn't bag One a win, the laid back combination of gentle beats, the producers' (Simon D!) r&b crooning, One hitting his stride finally without being outshone by Simon D (Simon D!), cleverly turned the anti-idol rapper bias on its head.


C Jamm and Reddy - "Wanted", SMTM5
To be frank, C Jamm was a solid contender during SMTM3, but he just wasn't that fun to watch - overly serious, closed off with harsh songs and a hard attitude. Not a lot to differentiate him from many other competent rappers flow-wise or visually. And Reddy, he's got a lot of style but a limited repertoire. Seeing C Jamm open up this time around feels like a gift. The pairing was a stroke of genius on the part of the producers. The beat is wicked and the rappers absolutely killed the performance like a pair of panthers.


BeWhy - "Forever", SMTM5
Compared to his previous appearance on SMTM, it is obvious that BeWhy has not only improved, but more importantly, found, committed and delivered his own voice. He adjusted his register and vocal tics to his advantage. He delivers shotgun style with a musicality that diversifies the monotone with layers of inflection. He uses complex time signature warps and shifts easily through difficult beats. He's cleaned up his mannerisms. BeWhy has got style now. Taking a notes from Kendrick, BeWhy served a rapper's rap performance that doesn't pander or alienate the audience. In "Forever" he moves progressively, effortlessly through cold and moody to jazzy freestyle - each zone a showcase of technique.


BeWhy - "Day Day", SMTM5
I didn't think anything could top BeWhy's "Forever" performance, but then THIS happened. In a similar way to One's "Be Comfortable" track,  "Day Day" subverts the oft told story of "overcoming/being true to oneself/making it" by taking elements that usually don't go together to re-frame familiar sentiments. Musically, the genre is unusual for the material (fun! funky! is usually reserved for party lyrics), but BeWhy didn't dumb down to cater to the happy vibe, nor did his flow take a backseat in delivering the emotions. To underscore the narrative, the arrangement and staging segued from BeWhy's typical introversion to an gregarious expression of joy - pure and celebratory and shared. I have "Day Day" on repeat in the car - a first for a song out of SMTM - because it feels inspirational. Preach to me BeWhy.