[Sh]it's going down

For only fifteen bucks this Sunday at 4:00 p.m., you can head to The Bell House and each as much chili as you want. (Tempting, right?)

As part of the fifth annual Chili Take Down, cooks from across Brooklyn will be entering their variations of Chili--some of which actually include bacon, tofu and curry--in the contest this Sunday to win the reign of best Chili Chef in Brooklyn.

In order to enter, contact Matt Timms here. (Or just show up and eat your heart out.)

Because you deserve to be proud of that Thanksgiving dinner.

As Thanksgiving approaches, it seems only appropriate to start talking food. And not just food, but gluttonous amounts of tradition and family togetherness graciously offered in honor of the very birth of our country. Which means it better be effing good, and it damn well better outdo every Thanksgiving dinner your guests have ever experienced, even Grandma's famous home-cooked feast.

That's why we're going to start with the basics: deboning the turkey. Brooklyn Kitchen is offering a class this Sunday to teach you how to most humanely mutilate that 20-pound bird to fully avoid any possibility of Grandad choking on a turkey bone.

And what's a better way to really wow the fam than with a truly traditional meal straight out of the 17th century? Before diving into the bird for yourself, experience that historicism at the Old Stone House in Park Slope as Sarah Lohman cooks up a real Thanksgiving dinner, plum pudding and all.

For those of you facing a sudden onslaught of uninvited guests of guests, remember to review Brokelyn's guide to cheap organic turkeys to alleviate the stress of feeding that army you call family.

[Sh]it's REALLY Goin' Down!

Hop on over to Southpaw tonight to see friends of Overflow Peephole debut a new line up! Spend those eight dollars and hear the future sound of Overflow's Super Secret Extravaganza (all details undisclosed at present moment...but REALLY...you WON'T want to miss it!)...shhh!

If you're feeling a little Green Friendly, help support rooftop farming this Friday. It's the way of the urban future and Ben Flanner is leading the way with a little fundraiser at Starr Space in Bushwick. Help bring the future Brooklyn Grange Farms to the borough's southern reaches!

If you decide it's a No-Go for your Starr Space attendance, have two nights of fun at Pete's Candy Store on Friday and Saturday! It may be a slight schlep. It IS in foreign territory but life's too short to spurn the North forever:

Friday will bring Pete's Big Poetry Series to its penultimate close with Nate Pritts, Leigh Stein, Karin Randolph, and much loved NYU professor and acclaimed poet Matthew Rohrer.

Saturday will be an Overflow Holy Day of Obligation as one of our beloved editors Sam Carter will play at 11pm with his group The Peter Pinguid Society! It's their Triumphant Return so come out and have a drink with us!

The daily mis[haps]

Who would have thought that twitter and texting would actually come in handy when it comes to finding a parking spot in New York? Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn investigated a new parking experiment going into effect in the Park Slope area. 

Roadify.com has started a social experiment called "Parking Around Me" in which drivers in Park Slope can notify other drivers when a spot opens or is taken.

According to the organization, Park Slope's parking is so stressful that the average driver takes 27 minutes to find a spot and 67% of traffic i

s caused by drivers looking for a space to squeeze into. 

The catch? Every time you give a spot, you get a point, that in turn you can use to get a spot at a later date. But hey, it might be worth it to send a quick text to the company so that you can save 27 minutes next time you're in a rush.                          

(Above image was a picture taken from the Gowanus Lounge, documenting the lack of open parking spots in South Brooklyn.)

Boxer/Rabbi?

Yuri Foreman, professional Israeli middleweight boxer, was the chosen one in Saturday's boxing match against Daniel Santos. He now holds the title as the World Boxing Association's 154-pound champion.

And he's taking rabbinical classes at the IYYUN Institute in Gowanus. Yes, Yuri Foreman is going to be the rabbi with the meanest left-hook around. He will literally beat the Old Testament into the mutilated pulp that used to be your head until you're begging your plastic surgeon to forgo the rhinoplasty and instead permanently attach a kippah to your scalp.

Well, as a man of religion, maybe he'll be a little nicer than that. But he's still going to be the most badass rabbi Brooklyn has ever seen.

Attention Bookworms!

Happy [Independent] Bookstore Week! From book readings to interactive publishing and writing classes, New York's independent booksellers are hosting events all week for those of you who still enjoy the delicious smell of mildewed pages, don't have a Kindle, and don't intend on getting one.

Check out poet Matthea Harvey read her new children's book (for kids and adults!) in Park Slope tomorrow at Community Bookstore or see Jonathan Safran Foer read on Thursday at the Old First Reformed Church! It's a week for paper! It's a week for words! Check out the many other events happening this week and once all is done, snuggle down into your bed and crack a book open!

It's That Time Again: Park Slope 100

Every year, Only The Blog Knows Brooklyn puts together the "Park Slope 100" and this year's list is creeping up on us. The list, for "famous and not famous alike" ranges anywhere from spiritual leaders to restaurant owners.

According to Only The Blog, the list consists of "100 stories, 100 ways of looking at the world, 100 inspiring people, places and things in and around Park Slope. It can be a person, a place, a thing, even an event. Let me know who, what and where was notable and powerful and 2009. One tip: I especially like people who direct their energies outward towards the better good of others in some way. Suggest yourself, your spouse, your relative, your friend."

So if you've got anyone, anything, or any place in mind, send your suggestions to: louise_crawford@yahoo.com

(And to catch a glance at last year's most noted, click here.)