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There's a lot of videos out there on YouTube from the Common Market "Tobacco Road" CD release show on Sept. 11.

My favorite is below. It includes the silent vigil for my cousin Jimmy at the end.

Sergio also took some great pictures at the show.

The rest are here. Those who missed the show missed out.

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Today at lunch, after eating my customary peanut butter and blackberry jam sandwich on Milton's Healthy Multi-Grain bread, I met a challenging navel orange.

The orange didn't peel well. The rind came off in chunks like tree bark. I was undeterred.

Once I had removed the rind, I spent little time removing the remaining pith due to impatience. I couldn't see a clear breaking point to section out the orange, so I dug my thumb into its top to create the divide.

As if I were changing an infant, I was suddenly hit in the glasses by a yellow stream of liquid from the orange.

I put the orange down on my desk and went to the restroom to wipe off my glasses.

"How's it going dude?" a co-worker asked.

"OK," I replied. "But an orange just peed on me."

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Home is where the heart is. The Polish Home Association is where the pierogi is.

Capitol Hill is abundant with many a strange and eclectic restaurants, and Amanda and I were delighted to try out Dom Polski, aka the Polish Home Association restaurant, on Friday.

Tucked away off East Madison on 18th avenue, the cash-only restaurant is only open from 7 p.m. to midnight on Fridays and limited to members of the Polish Home Association. Of course, to skirt around that, Dom Polski helps customers buy a day's membership (or admission) for $1 per person.

Stepping into Dom Polski is literally like stepping into a Polish beer hall. The decor is tacky, but somehow authentic. A rustic, wooden bar serves up only imported Polish brews as well as a few infused vodkas. Everyone but the waitresses speaks Polish.

Amanda was craving pierogis, so we ordered all the flavors Dom Polski had to offer: Meat, potato and sauerkraut and mushroom. We also ordered some dense onion rings and the Special Polish Platter: cabbage roll stuffed with spiced beef, more pierogis, potatoes and kielbasa smothered in a mysterious orange sauce. Yum.

We drank strange, unpronounceable beer. We ate hearty, tasty food. We couldn't understand a lick of Polish conversation. We loved it.