The fabulous Alex Steinweiss

Alex Steinweiss was the man who basically invented the album cover. Before him, record sets were sold in book-like albums with brown paper interior sleeves containing multiple records, and the covers were simply plain, like the old photo albums or scrapbooks.  

Steinweiss convinced his bosses at Columbia records to invest in the equipment to print on these covers. They started with generic covers that would leave a space for the album titles, and then gradually each album would have it's own conceptual design, as we know it today.

For more covers and info, visit Poul Webb's blog here.

This is an example of one of Steinweiss's early generic covers, used for symphonic works, the title would be inserted in the white box.

Wilhelm Furtwangler conducts Schumann & Haydn. mid 1950s

Paul Hindemith "Die Harmonie Der Welt" mid 1950s

Paul Hindemith "Die Harmonie Der Welt" mid 1950s

I love this Boswell Sisters cover from 1942, as I love the Boswell Sisters themselves, but we'll talk about that later!

Boogie Woogie set 1942

Boogie Woogie set 1942

Morton Gould and His Orchestra 1951

My Tomos "Mini" folding bicycle

At the onset of my bicycle fever a couple of years ago, I quickly found this 1979 Yogoslavian folder on an antiques website and snapped it up. It has one speed only but is great fun to ride, enabling me to feel like a kid again while zipping around the neighborhood. Here it is, kitted out with the vintage box bag from Cycle Chic, and the original basket from my Pashley. I think it's just about the cutest thing ever.

The Vintage Box bag, by "The Bicycle Muse" comes in 3 colors and is available from the U.K. for £44.99.

Fish sticks 3 ways

I'm a lazy cook. There are strict limits on how much time I'll spend preparing meals & how much cleaning will follow. So using prepared foods is a must & good old Trader Joe's is a major resource. If you don't have Trader Joe's in your region, I can only say how sorry I am! While I eat mostly vegan and vegetarian, sometimes I break my code and enjoy some fish. Usually salmon or sushi, but when I miss fried food, I buy a box of TJ's Reduced-fat Fish Sticks and keep them in the freezer for the occasional fried fish splurge. Here are three tasty quick lunches I make with them.

Spicy arugula salad with crunchy fish and Trader Joe's Spicy Peanut Vinegraitte. Ingredients: Arugula + heirloom cherry tomatoes + spoonful of black beans + persian cucumbers + shredded red cabbage + sliced red onion. Add three crunchy fish sticks, cut into squares and tossed with 2 tablespoons Trader Joe's Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette.

Fried fish sandwich with fried Gruyere and schiracha mayo. Ingredients: Double fiber english muffin, toasted + sliced red onion + sliced persian cucumber + red cabbage, arugula and romaine + tomato + sriracha mayo (1 tbs canola mayo with a healthy squirt or two of sriracha) and one slice of gruyere melted directly in the lightly oiled skillet.

Japanese-style fried rice with crunchy fish. Ingredients: slivered collard greens + Trader Joe's Japanese-Style Fried Rice + 3 crunchy fish sticks cut in half. Not shown: crumble roasted seaweed on top.