tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19628641513035054482024-03-13T09:58:34.095-05:00amcnlejvcMaking tiny changes to earth, while I'm alive... (thanks to Frightened Rabbit)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094323841303893520noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962864151303505448.post-60945546482787382992012-02-29T17:30:00.000-06:002012-02-29T17:30:00.147-06:00In which I join a gym<span id="internal-source-marker_0.5705577060580254"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you can’t make a new blog entry on Leap Day, maybe you shouldn’t be blogging.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This entry is about fitness, specifically, mine. After a year of gluttony, and a winter of heavy beers and Chipotle burritos disguised as “snacks”, and a particularly embarrassing round of bite the bag, in which I could not make it through even one round, the voice in me head (and increasingly, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gout" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">my foot</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), finally got loud enough, and I joined a gym.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.anytimefitness.com/" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anytime Fitness</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> opened a gym near our house a couple of years ago. Their two primary marketing points seem to be that they are open 24/7 and that they are less expensive than other gyms. Indeed, the Lifetime Fitness located across the street is probably quite lovely, but at $120 per month for me to join (at last check), a Powerball win would be required for me to sign up. And while I have never had any intention of working out at 2 am, Anytime’s base price of $40 per month (again, just for me) is completely reasonable. And if I can get there 12 times per month, my health plan will kick in $20. For a net charge of $20, what did I have to lose (other than 35 pounds)?</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">When you join a gym you get a free “fitness assessment”, which is great because I wasn’t sure if I was fit or not. Much to my surprise, I found out I am not fit. While these little sessions inevitably turn into sales pitches from the personal trainer to sign up (and PAY) for more personal training sessions, it was a useful place to start. Most of us who have not spent a lot of time in the gym don’t know what to do when we get there, so we spend 20-30 on the elliptical machine, hoping that will be enough. The truth is that we all know that isn’t enough, but we’re a little scared of the free weights because we don’t know what to do. My personal trainer was nice enough to show me what to do, and overall I’m off to a good start. Progress reports will continue in this blog as soon as progress is made.</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The funniest moment of the personal training session came when the trainer was going to show me some bicep/tricep exercises that are done under this large contraption/torture device that you can hook up lots of things to - I’m sure you’ve seen one at your gym before. While she was explaining something to me, a nice young man came up and asked if he could finish his set. We said of course, and he proceeded to do his last 5 pull ups. He did his pull ups after wrapping a chain around his waist that had two 25 pound plate weights on it. I guess this is standard procedure if normal pull ups just don’t get you off anymore. Honestly, the chain was a bit much. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the modified words of my friend Tryg, “good times, less grilled cheese.”</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094323841303893520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962864151303505448.post-74364742125384214262012-01-13T17:30:00.000-06:002012-01-13T17:30:00.920-06:00NFL Playoffs 2012 - Divisional Weekend<br />
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.7674875010270625"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is the last weekend of the season with more than two games. I’m very excited about these games, the Saturday ones in particular. I want to take this time to note that I tried to use the Saturday games as an excuse to not paint my daughter’s (soon to be daughters’) room a delicious shade of yellow this weekend. It sounded so bad coming out of my mouth that I briefly considered not watching football as a penalty to myself. I mean, let’s be honest, all I do is move some furniture about two feet and then roll when my wife says, “ROLL!” I’m pretty sure that can be accomplished before the games start and I can start eating </span><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/alton-browns-buffalo-wings-recipe/index.html"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">wings</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In case you hadn’t heard, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I went 4-0 against the spread last week</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Keep that in mind, and I recommend you at least consider doing the opposite of these picks.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Saints at 49ers - line is Saints -4</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Much is being made of the Saints record indoors vs. outdoors this year (they’re good at home, not so good on the road, and played 11 games in domes this year). Since good weather is expected in SF this weekend, a bigger factor here will be the fact the Saints played a crappy schedule, and the 49ers defense is excellent. Remember that the Saints were down 14-10 at halftime last week and the Lions dropped two easy interceptions that could have easily turned the game around. The 49ers won’t make the same mistakes. Don’t take the points unless you think your team can win, and I always like the home underdog in the playoffs.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My pick: 49ers 27, Saints 20</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Broncos at Patriots - line is Patriots -13.5</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A few years ago I never would have believed that I would be cheering for Tebow. But when he threw the pass that beat the Steelers on the first play of overtime last weekend, I jumped out of my chair. Whatever you think about his faith, I don’t think anyone can deny that FAITH BEGETS CONFIDENCE. Tebow is supremely confident, and that can take you a long way. But it can’t take you all the way. The Patriots are too good, and they’ve had plenty of time to prepare for this one. That’s a lot of points to give, but they beat the Broncos in Denver 41-23 on December 18th. This one will be over early.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My pick: Patriots 41, Broncos 11</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Texans at Ravens - line is Ravens -7.5</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Joe Flacco’s career playoff record is 3-4. He’s thrown 4 playoff TDs and 7 playoff INTs. I’m no TJ Yates lover, but if you had the choice between betting on an unproven player, and a player who had proven to be not very good, what choice would you make? The Texans defense is too good for this to be a blowout. The Ravens will win a close one, but take the Texans and the points.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My pick: Ravens 16, Texans 14</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Giants at Packers - line is Packers -7.5</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wow, I can’t believe how awesome these games are. This is the last game of the weekend, and it might be the best. But then I remembered that the Packers were 15-1 this year, and the Giants were 8-8. And now if you are a Packer fan you come face to face with the problem you have had all season: once the Packers seemed like they were really REALLY good, the only thing that would satisfy would be a Super Bowl victory. So unless they win the next three games, I daresay that you haven’t even really enjoyed the season all that much, especially after that painful loss in Kansas City. But at least for one more week, the dream lives on...</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My pick: Packers 37, Giants 13</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here's some acoustic Bad Religion for you. Skyscraper is one of my top 10 favorite songs of all-time.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2RokEcxleVc" width="420"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094323841303893520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962864151303505448.post-61597527783181448942012-01-06T17:18:00.001-06:002012-01-06T17:18:11.837-06:00NFL Playoffs 2012 - Wild Card Weekend<br />
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.8672114342916757"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The NFL playoffs are here, and I couldn’t be more excited. With apologies to March Madness, the World Series and the Olympics, the NFL Playoffs are the best collection of events in all of sport. There’s all the greatness of regular season football, with bad weather and more risk-taking added for our enjoyment. In the regular season, coaches rarely take the kind of risks they do in the playoffs, and it makes for some spectacular entertainment. Plus there are Saturday afternoon and evening games, which only increase the fun.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I like to make picks for the playoffs, if only to outline the specific things that WILL NOT happen when they actually play the games. Because if I predict something will happen, that almost guarantees that it will not happen. I am far more likely to go 0-11 during the playoffs than I am to go 11-0, so don’t do anything I wouldn’t do with the information below.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bengals at Texans - line is Texans -3.5</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is the first ever playoff game for the Texans, so good for them. This is really the first playoff game for this iteration of the Bengals, since they’ve been so bad for so long. As long as TJ Yates starts for the Texans, this will be the first playoff game in the Super Bowl era to feature rookie starting QBs for each team. Since neither of these teams are really going to go anywhere, I won’t spend anymore time thinking about this one.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My pick: Texans 27, Bengals 14</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lions at Saints - line is Saints -10.5</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The over/under on this one is 59, which is the highest total ever for a wild card playoff game. The Saints beat the Lions in New Orleans on 12/4 by a final of 31-17. The Lions last playoff game was after the 1999 season. The Saints won the Super Bowl two years ago and Drew Brees rules. That’s a lot of points to give up, but this Lions club is the kind of team that will get frustrated and quit if they get behind. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My pick: Saints 42, Lions 10 (and consider taking the under, 59 is just way too many points)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Falcons at Giants - line is Giants -3</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Falcons just aren’t that good. The Giants aren’t a whole lot better, but on defense they can rush the passer, and Atlanta’s QB Matt Ryan is terrible on the road. The Giants seem to think they can duplicate their run to the Super Bowl from a few years ago, and while that’s going a bit too far, I don’t think they’ll have any trouble with the Falcons.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My pick: Giants 29, Falcons 11</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Steelers at Broncos - line is Steelers -8.5</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oh look, a home underdog in the playoffs! How exciting! While you’re reading this, take a minute to read <a href="http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/2011/story/_/id/7419488/2012-nfl-playoffs-pittsburgh-steelers-mike-tomlin-says-ryan-clark-play-vs-denver-broncos" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">why Ryan Clark is not playing</span></a> for the Steelers. It’s a very interesting story. Look, I know Tebow is terrible, and a lot of people think the Steelers are going back to the Super Bowl this year. But Roethlisberger can barely walk right now. Denver plays tough at home, and every year something crazy happens in the playoffs. I’d heard some places were going as high as Steelers -10, which I would like more, but at the same time, 8.5 isn’t bad in what figures to be a low scoring game. I actually think the Broncos can win this one.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My pick: Broncos 16, Steelers 6
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And here's something awesome from last year - one of the best runs you will ever see:</span></b><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zCI-bAPtBRo" width="560"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094323841303893520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962864151303505448.post-62369277887535645082012-01-03T20:13:00.001-06:002012-01-03T20:17:47.297-06:002012 Reboot<br />
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<span id="internal-source-marker_0.9334792559966445"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you didn’t get what you wanted for Christmas this year, well, too bad. There’s nothing I can do about that for you. What I CAN do is let you know I am rebooting this blog for 2012! I can hear your sarcastic cries of joy from here, so please stop. The blog is not for you, it’s for me. Read it if you want, I just don’t care.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So why bother? There are some good reasons to bother, and while many of them are probably not suitable for printing in public (there is always value in keeping SOME things to yourself, although it seems many people reject that concept in our current era), a few of them are. SO here goes:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><br />
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<li><b id="internal-source-marker_0.9334792559966445"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://youtu.be/nkh33pvvG1U" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Tiny changes</span></a> are easier to make than big ones. I recently read a <a href="http://lifehacker.com/5872232/top-10-easy+to+keep-resolutions-for-this-new-year" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Lifehacker article</span></a> that basically said, “if you want to make changes this year, focus on a few small things to give yourself a chance to be more successful.” Writing one blog post a week is a small change that I think I can be successful at.
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;">There’s interesting things happening in everyone’s life, but I think a lot of people (myself included) miss some of those things for two main reasons: 1) People don’t actively look for the interesting experiences they are having all the time and 2) people are too shy and don’t actually think their experiences are interesting to others. This is a cause for loneliness and I think it is becoming a problem for more and more people. My goal is to look for the interesting experiences I am having, and then share those experiences with others. If nothing else I will be defining the interesting parts of my life. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Last year I used one of only a couple of blog entries made to list some resolutions for 2011. In total, I did very poorly in executing these resolutions. Many of them were just too big to really accomplish. I did watch the <a href="http://youtu.be/pqDhKFqDk34" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Big Lebowski</span></a>, and I did drink a lot of beer. But other than that, most of the resolutions I blogged about last year were left on the wayside of the Internet before last year’s Super Bowl. But this year will be different. Seriously, it will be.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All the resolutions for this year are small (tiny changes) and quantifiable. Believe it or not, you CAN make changes to your life as long as you have a plan. The main item I want to share right now is that I have a goal to make at least one blog post every week this year. I’ve blocked out time at home to make it happen, and I am really looking forward to it. Aren’t you excited, too?</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lastly, all blog entries this year will end with some random (or not so random) picture or video. The first one for this year is a hint as to what I am most excited about this year:
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QqXheZ543x0" width="560"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094323841303893520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962864151303505448.post-49863086519926040842011-01-13T13:30:00.003-06:002011-01-13T13:54:09.097-06:00NFL Picks<span class="Apple-style-span">I did some entries picking most of the playoff games last year. I liked it, even though no one else did. I called the Cowboys-Vikings game perfectly. Since I know you are all dying to know, here are my picks for this weekend's games:</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Baltimore +3.5 over Pittsburgh<br />Baltimore is going to break through one of these times. Roethlisberger is getting married, and has already won two Super Bowls. He is turning into the Sauron of the NFL (yes, we are watching LOTR right now - almost done).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Atlanta -3 over Green Bay<br />Green Bay lost to Detroit 7-3 on December 12th. They were allegedly trying to win that game. Matt Ryan is something like 20-2 at home as a starter for Atlanta. Plus Green Bay is second least favorite team in the NFL (after the Saints) so I hope they get smoked.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Chicago -10 over Seattle<br />Jay Cutler is the reason we created terms like douche-bag. The Seahawks lost road games by 17, 17, 30, 16, 19 and 23 points this year. So there is a chance they might not be very good on the road. Chicago is the first team ever to get two byes in one playoff season.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">NY Jets +9 over New England<br />Nine points is ridiculous in this matchup. I know the Patriots won 45-3 the last meeting, but you can't focus on one blowout when you look at playoff matchups. Tom Brady is 14-4 in playoff games. That's just sick. He's getting into Aragorn territory now. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Also, in case you had forgotten how last season ended for the Purple...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/H2TZQlVPvjk?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/H2TZQlVPvjk?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094323841303893520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962864151303505448.post-44506077485818192392011-01-12T15:38:00.003-06:002011-01-12T16:05:04.896-06:00Resolved: 11 Items to Take Care of in 2011<span class="Apple-style-span" >With the coming of the new year, many people take the time to look at what they have done in the last 12 months and determine which of the things they did were awesome, and which of the things they did sucked. This tradition is followed strongly especially in cold climates, because there isn't anything else to do in January because it is always so crappy outside. We could drink the rest of winter away, but many of us drank the first part of winter away, so a bit of a break from the bottle is necessary.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >What follows is a list of 11 (where did that number come from?) "resolutions" I came up with for 2011. "Resolutions"? Well, usually I hate resolutions, because making them always makes it seem like I did something wrong in the past year, and clearly, that is not the case. But the fact of the matter is that it is time to make some changes, and I also needed some content for this blog. But seriously, I didn't do anything wrong last year, no matter what you say.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >We'll start with the full listing of resolutions, and then we'll have entries based on each of those individually. JOY! That's like, a whole 12 entries or something. Here they all are, in the order I have typed them in:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" >Reduce the frequency and intensity of WANT in my life.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" >Read more books. And then blog about them. </span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" >Beer more. Wait, beer isn't a verb? In that case, I'd like to learn more about beer, and become more of a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 12px; ">Connoisseur.</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 12px; "></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 12px; ">Watch the Big Lebowski</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 12px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Stay Positive</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 12px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Turn off the TV</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 12px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Blog more - I bet you can hardly wait for the blog entry about how I want to blog more. It will be the mobius strip of blog entries.</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 12px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Take fewer naps. This has been the most controversial of all resolutions so far. Do we need more to talk about? Apparently.</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 12px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Play more music. I might be in a band.</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 12px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Make fewer resolutions for other people. There's more here than you might think.</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 12px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Cook with more exotic vegetables. So far I have roasted Brussels Sprouts. CRAZY I KNOW!</span></span></li></ol><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 12px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >So that's it. No working out. No losing weight. No working harder or being a better Dad. Just pure, unfiltered Adam. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 12px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 12px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Remember: If some is good, more is better.</span></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094323841303893520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962864151303505448.post-34885071897327833802010-08-10T11:41:00.003-05:002010-08-10T11:46:35.565-05:00Delicious and NutritiousMONDAY, AUGUST 9, 2010<div><br /></div><div>No one likes Mondays. But leftovers can help the cause...</div><div><br /></div><div>Cauliflower, Zucchini and some other veggies fried in Sunflower oil and then covered with Arugula pesto. I don't need to tell you it was Nicole who came up with that one. It was awesome. </div><div><br /></div><div>Also, leftover Lemon Thyme Risotto and some fried up chick peas. Risotto is the gift that keeps on giving.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094323841303893520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962864151303505448.post-4371319848507299492010-08-09T14:27:00.002-05:002010-08-09T14:51:27.537-05:00What's for Dinner?Nicole came up with the idea, and I think it is a good one: write down what we eat. I like it because it provides content for blogging, plus it is appropriately narcissistic. I mean, who cares what The Chose's have for dinner? Well, more people should, that's who. And as anyone who sees my facebook entries knows, I very much enjoy taking pictures of the food I cook and eat and showing them to everyone.<div><br /></div><div>Mostly I am hoping that is will create some kind of an archive of foods we consume, which will aid future meal planning. I don't plan on creating any sort of fancy rating system - that just impedes blog posting. I will occasionally provide pictures. So here goes:</div><div><br /></div><div>SATURDAY, AUGUST 7, 2010</div><div><br /></div><div>We made pizzas. We have a pizza stone which I highly recommend purchasing if you like making your own pizzas. It will change your life. I don't know how much they are because we got ours for our wedding. Whether you use pre-made (Boboli) crusts or make your own, you will benefit from using one every time you make pizza at home.</div><div><br /></div><div>Normally we make our kids eat exactly what we are eating. You might think that's because we want them to grow up eating normal food and acquiring a wide range of tastes. In reality it is because we are too lazy to make two entire dinners, one for us and one for them. Anyway, for this round of pizzas we made two kinds, one for us and one more for the kids. JVC really really really really likes to put pepperoni on pizza. So we had her do a very traditional pepperoni and cheese pizza, although we did add squash from the farm share just because.</div><div><br /></div><div>For the adult version of the pizza, we used pizza dough purchased at the <a href="http://www.greatharvest.com/">bread store</a>. I've also used Trader Joe's dough, which was fine, but this is better. I've also made my own, which is really fun and satisfying, especially if you like to eat dinner at 10 pm. Olive oil, basil, squash and fresh mozzarella were there as well - it was delicious.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kids Pizza: Boboli - Pepperoni - jack cheese</div><div>Adult Pizza: Great Harvest Dough - Basil - Tomato - Fresh Mozz - Squash from Farm share</div><div><br /></div><div>SUNDAY, AUGUST 8, 2010</div><div><br /></div><div>Brought out the smoker for a pork loin roast we got when we were participating in the meat farm share this spring. Brined and rubbed, it was ok. I need to work on smoking pork - it's coming out tough and I don't know why. All the chicken I have done has been awesome. Is my smoker too hot?</div><div><br /></div><div>The star of this meal was not the purple beans (yes, they turn green when you cook them). It was the Lemon Thyme Risotto which is delicious and healthy. Ok, it was not healthy, but it was delicious. I made a lot so I can eat it all week. </div><div><br /></div><div>Pork Loin - Lemon Thyme Risotto - Purple Beans</div><div><br /></div><div>Oh yeah we also had <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/chocolate-ice-cream-recipe/index.html">chocolate ice cream</a> that we made - it was pretty good but not as creamy as it usually is - I think I over cooked it.</div><div><br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094323841303893520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962864151303505448.post-14264718729886597112010-04-05T14:36:00.001-05:002010-04-05T14:37:51.772-05:00Twins Fever<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Verdana;font-size:13px;"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">I am no Twins apologist. In fact, you could call me Mr. Negative at times when it comes to the hometown 9. There's been plenty not to like about recent Twins teams, although hardcore fans who never went away during the mid- and late-nineties will disagree with me I am sure. Yes, the Twins have not been awful. Yes, they have done it mostly with homegrown talent. But have they <i>really</i> contended for a title in any meaningful way? Ron <span class="misspell" suggestions="Garden hire,Garden-hire,Jardiniere,Quaternary">Gardenhire</span> is a great manager, but his lifetime playoff record is 6-18. They have been close a couple of times against the Yankees, but I think we would all agree that winning any of those series would have been shocking. Since they lost in the <span class="misspell" suggestions="AL CS,AL-CS,LACS,AL'S,ALAS">ALCS</span> to the Angels in 2002, I don't think that any of us could be honest with ourselves and say that we really thought the Twins could win it all.</div><br /><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">But this year is different. On April 5<span class="misspell" suggestions="Th,Thu,the,tho,thy">th</span>, 2010, I really think that the Twins have an honest chance to win the World Series this season.</div><br /><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Is it some kind of new stadium euphoria that has gone to my head? Is it a man crush on Joe <span class="misspell" suggestions="Mair,Maure,Mauser,Mayer,Mauler">Mauer</span> (unlike Joe Smith, <span class="misspell" suggestions="Mair,Maure,Mauser,Mayer,Mauler">Mauer</span> really is no ordinary Joe)? Is it the face that our off season acquisitions were more than just other teams retreads who we knew would be cut by the end of May? (I <span class="misspell" suggestions="would,woulds,Wilden,Wildon,Willdon">wouldn</span>'t recognize <span class="misspell" suggestions="J,JG,JO,DJ,JD">JJ</span> Hardy or Orlando Hudson if they walked up to me in uniform, but I love them already.) It's some of all of that. I am more excited for this baseball season than I have been in a very long time.</div><br /><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Maybe it's the thought that I am going to get to take my daughter to her first baseball game this summer, and we won't have to sit inside and talk about what a beautiful night for baseball it is outside the Dome. She has not one but TWO Twins shirts now (<span class="misspell" suggestions="Morna,Mirna,Morena,Money,Mona">Morneau</span> and <span class="misspell" suggestions="Lorain,Loraine,Lorin,Lorianna,Lorianne">Liriano</span>), and I almost cried when Nadia got her Joe <span class="misspell" suggestions="Mair,Maure,Mauser,Mayer,Mauler">Mauer</span> #7 for Easter. First pitch tonight is at 9:05 local time, and I will probably turn off the NCAA title game to watch baseball, even though it's just 1 out of 162. </div><br /><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">For once, I am not going to be negative the first time Baker the Bomb-maker gets shelled, or the first time I have to watch little Nicky <span class="misspell" suggestions="Pun to,Pun-to,Pinto,Punt,Panto">Punto</span> come to the plate when need a hit late in a game, or when Jon <span class="misspell" suggestions="Rush,Rash,Raunchy,Busch,Kusch">Rausch</span> blows his first save, or when <span class="misspell" suggestions="Dena rd,Dena-rd,Deaned,Denied,Lenard">Denard</span> Span hits his own mother with a foul ball. This year is going to be filled with POSITIVITY, excitement, and hopefully October baseball under the stars. The biggest question mark facing the Twins this year is going to be whether or not we still wave Homer Hankies during the playoffs.</div><br /><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Twins fever? I'<span class="misspell" suggestions="vie,voe,V,v,veg">ve</span> been infected, and I don't think there is a cure. </div></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094323841303893520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962864151303505448.post-58191793383621491972010-01-15T10:22:00.004-06:002010-01-15T11:13:39.187-06:00Divisional Playoff PicksLast week my picks were 2-2. I was right on the Cowboys and Ravens, wrong on the Bengals and Packers. All I can say is that the Bengals played like they were the crappy team, although I had to turn the game off because the annoucing crew was so awful. And the Packers game, well, I did say if 1999 Kurt Warner came to play, the Packers would be in trouble. Whichever team lost that game was going to be pissed because they both knew they had a chance to win. On to the games for this week - which is, as others have said, the best week of football all year.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Game #1 - Arizona Cardinals @ New Orleans Saints</span><br /><br /><br /><br />The Saints didn't look very good down the stretch, but they had very little to play for, and remember, 2 months ago, after they destroyed the Patriots on Monday Night, they looked like one of the great teams of all-time. They are home, in front of what will be a very loud crowd. Drew Brees could have been league MVP this year. The defense creates a lot of turnovers. And the Cardinals gave up 45 points last week, and it looks like the Saints have an even more explosive offense than the Packers did.<br /><br />Of course, I am picking the Cardinals. If the past two years have taught us anything, it's that Kurt Warner needs to be in discussion as one of the great Quaterbacks of the past 25 years. If he were to somehow get the Cardinals all the way to the Super Bowl this year, and even WIN it all, I think you would have to put him on a list of the greatest of all-time. Against the Packers he threw 5 passes that resulted in TDs. He threw FOUR passes that landed incomplete. That's just shocking. If you are gambling on this game, I just don't think you can put yourself in a position where you lose money because Warner had a huge day. You would feel stupid.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">I am picking <strong><span style="font-family:arial;"><em>Cardinals +7</em></span></strong>, and I think they will win it outright: Cardinals 38, Saints 30</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Game #2 - Baltimore Ravens @ Indianapolis Colts</span><br /><br /><br />The Colts have lost in the playoffs at home after a bye 3 times in the past 10 years. They quit playing for keeps during the regular season, and that was about a month ago. Honestly, had they NOT won the Super Bowl a few years ago (which they DID win, I understand, but remember that Rex Grossman was prominently involved), they would be on a short list of biggest chokers in history.<br /><br />The Ravens made it all the way to the AFC title game last year, and look even meaner than usual, especially last week against a crappy Patriots team. No, I don't like QB Flacco - he looked old last week and he's not old, so that's a bad sign. I think the Ravens will play with more emotion. Look out if the Colts D gets after Flacco too much, but I think the Ravens running game will keep that from happening. And let's face it, I don't think the Colts are too happy about playing the Ravens this week. The Colts won a lot of close games this year, and I think they will lose this one.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">I am taking <strong><em><span style="font-family:arial;">Ravens +6.5</span></em></strong>, and to win outright, 24-17</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Game #3 - Dallas Cowboys @ Minnesota Vikings</span><br /><br />I haven't had this amount of anticipation about a game in a long time. It's almost more than I can handle. This game will come down to how well the Vikins offensive line plays against the Cowboys defensive line. If the Vikings can control that line of scrimmage, they'll be fine. If you see Favre running for his life and getting a lot of pressure, it will get real quiet in the Metrodome real fast. I think that having the extra week to prepare will be a big advantage for the Vikings in that regard.<br /><br />On the other side of the ball, I am not scared of Romo. He's been ok recently, but he has been a choker in the past. If our defensive secondary can tackle, the Vikings will be fine. Fat Pat Williams and Kevin Williams will be important, too. As always, if Jared Allen has a big game, the Cowboys have no chance.<br /><br />Vegas seems to like the Cowboys, only giving a customer 3 points to the road team. I don't htink it will be that close.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">I am taking <strong><em><span style="font-family:arial;">Vikings -3</span></em></strong>. Minnesota 35, Dallas 20</span><br /><br />(There's nothing better than beating overconfident Cowboys. It's very satisfying to watch them cry as they leave the field).<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Game #4 - NY Jets @ San Diego Chargers</span><br /><br />Look, this is a VERY good Chargers team. This is the week that we see the Jets exposed as a very borderline playoff team. I don't see any way that the Chargers can be stopped - they are my pick to get to the Superbowl in the AFC right now. The Jets had a nice run, but their rookie QB isn't taking them any further, and the Chargers have too many passing weapons for the Jets to stop. This looks like a blowout.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">I've got <strong><em><span style="font-family:arial;">Chargers -7</span></em></strong>. San Diego 38, Jets 13</span><br /><br />All you know now is that at least one of these predictions will be wrong. Proceed at your own risk!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094323841303893520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962864151303505448.post-58139612062297978372010-01-08T13:42:00.002-06:002010-01-08T14:29:30.475-06:00First Round NFL Playoff PicksSince I know you all care so much, it's time to release my picks for the first round of the NFL playoffs. We all know that the NFL playoffs are the best playoffs of any sport. I encourage all of you to devote yourselves fully and completely to the NFL playoffs - you will NOT be disappointed.<br /><br />For the purposes of these picks, I am using the Las Vegas Hilton lines as of Friday morning. I am doing this because I actually won money once on the only game I have ever put down a real bet on, and it was at the Hilton.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Game #1 - NY Jets @ Cincinnati Bengals</span><br /><br />These teams played last week, but only one of them was playing for something, so the domination by the Jets should be completely disregardd. The Bengals have all the emotion on their side in this one, having dealt with two deaths close to the team this year (the Defensive Coordinator's wife early in season and WR Chris Henry just a few weeks ago). Professional football is an emotional game, and playoff football only intensifies that. Add to that the fact that the Bengals are at home, which will mean something in this game because...<br /><br />The Jets start rookie QB Mark Sanchez, who was ok this year, but is clearly the worst QB in the playoffs this year. The Jets only hope is to run the ball a lot and shorten the game, because if they ask Sanchez to win it for them, they are cooked. The Bengals know this and will make it impossible for the Jets to run. Once the Jets get behind and are forced to start throwing the ball, look for this game to get out of hand.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">I am taking the <strong><em><span style="font-family:arial;">Bengals -2.5</span></em></strong>, all the way to the bank. Bengals 28, Jets 10</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Game #2 - Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys</span><br /><br />Eagles coach Andy Reid is 7-0 all time in the first game they play in the playoffs. Wad Phillips and Tony Romo have never won a playoff game for any team. Everyone hates the Cowboys all the time, because they have one of the richest owners, and most of their fans are really annoying. Any team that calls itself "America's Team" should be disbanded on general principle alone. Plus, these Cowboys are classic underachievers.<br /><br />So of course, I am taking the Cowboys. There's no way that Reid can continue his playoff coaching streak. And these teams played just last week, with the Cowboys winning 24-0. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise, the Eagles DID want to win that game. Had they won, they would have been the #2 seed in the NFC, gotten a bye and a home game in the playoffs. Instead they fall to #6 and find themselves in the first ever playoff game in the new Cowboys stadium. The Eagles have more injuries than can even be listed in this space, including key injuries on the offensive line (playoff football often comes down to who can protect their QB better). In spite of all the factors listed above, the Cowboys are just the better team, and the better team usually wins these games.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">I am taking the <strong><em><span style="font-family:arial;">Cowboys -3.5</span></em></strong>; Dallas 31, Philadelphia 17</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Game #3 - Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots</span><br /><br />Like everyone else in America (even some people from Boston), I am sick of Boston teams. I am sick of Tom Brady (hot wife, illegitimate child, lame haircut). I am sick of Bill Belichek. I am sick of Boston getting all of Minnesota's good players (David Ortiz, Randy Moss, Kevin Garnett). They are just thoroughly unlikeable in so many ways. But beyond that, they just aren't that great this year. With the loss of Wes Welker last week, the Baltimore Defense will be able to focus on containing Moss, leaving it up to Fred Taylor to carry the load for the offense, and this isn't 2001 anymore, so I'm not buying it.<br /><br />The Ravens were much better than their record would indicate. They lost at least 4 should have won games (including the game against the Vikings). They have a young QB in Joe Flacco, but they made it to the AFC title game last year, and this team is better. Ray Rice is as good a young, all-purpose RB as you will find. And Willis "The Father of America" McGahee is just a stud. This is not the same Baltimore Defense of years past, but they are still getting it done, and I don't think the Patriots can protect Brady long enough for him to do anything. Patriots fans know that this isn't their year.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">I'm taking the <strong><em><span style="font-family:arial;">Ravens +3.5</span></em></strong>. Ravens 24, Patriots 17</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Game #4 - Green Bay Packers @ Arizona Cardinals</span><br /><br />We all know the league is going to do anything it can to get one more Packers/Vikings game this year (and you KNOW the Packer fans would love to have one more crack at Favre, especially in the playoffs). The Cardinals surprised everyone last year with their Super Bowl run, and I don't think I can live in a world where the Arizona Cardinals go to the Super Bowl two years in a row. The Packers are a much better team than they were earlier in the year, and are healthy on the offensive line, which the Cardinals are not. The only word of warning here relates to Kurt Warner. If he starts to party like it's 1999, all bets are off. Also, if man-child Superhero Larry Fitzgerald has a game like he had in any of last year's playoff games, the Packers could be in trouble.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">I'm taking the <em><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Packers +1</strong></span></em>. Green Bay 38, Arizona 34</span><br /><br />So there you have it. With this information there are two things that are certain:<br /><ol><li>At least one of these picks will be wrong. Probably more than one. So tread carefully.</li><li>Years from now someone will stumble on this blog and wonder why someone would have a blog with only 2 posts in the past 4 months. </li></ol><p> </p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094323841303893520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962864151303505448.post-17202401271868727032009-09-25T11:21:00.004-05:002009-09-25T11:43:03.905-05:00A Pumpkin Treat<div style="text-align: left;">Well, I finally made it over to <a href="http://www.thefourfirkins.com/">The Four <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Firkins</span></a> in St Louis Park. I was not disappointed in me visit at all. It's like Disney World for beer lovers, if Disney World was in St Louis Park and sold beer. So it's not like Disney World at all really.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I'm going to talk more about The Four <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Firkins</span> in future posts, and I will be going back there as soon as possible. In the meantime, I'm going to give you some recommendations over the next few posts of some beers you might want to try if you go. Don't worry if these beers are not in stock - just tell them what you like and they'll steer you in the right direction.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>The first beer I tried from there was from the <a href="http://www.shipyard.com/">Shipyard Brewing Company</a> in Portland, Maine. Labeled as part of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Pugsley's</span> Signature Series</div><div>, the <a href="http://www.shipyard.com/features/f1index.shtm">Smashed Pumpkin</a> I got was unlike any beer I have ever tasted.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jZedoBeb99E/Srzv9XV_SuI/AAAAAAAAADM/nO7TQ31Opds/s320/P9230208.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385443091945573090" /><div><br /></div><div>You will not be able to have one sip of this beer without thinking Pumpkin and Nutmeg. I was astounded at the depth of the flavor in this beer. I guess I have never had a pumpkin beer before. It had all that flavor, but the nice part was that it wasn't heavy at all. And as I was drinking it slowly, I was rewarded with even more flavor and aroma as the beer got a little warmer. The label suggests serving at 55 degrees, so you may even want to pull it out of the fridge for about a half hour before you open it. </div><div><br /></div><div>And it was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">freakin</span> orange, I kid you not.</div><div><br /><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jZedoBeb99E/SrzxEueAM1I/AAAAAAAAADU/SfO0glyye0w/s320/P9230209.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385444317923914578" /><br /></div><div>Amazing color from an amazing beer. The picture doesn't show the clarity of the beer, but it was almost transparent, yet still had the orange color. It was $9 for the bomber, but I thought it was worth it. And hey, at 9.0% alcohol, you even get some bang for your buck!</div><div><br /></div><div>One last thing - if you have access to the Sierra Nevada ESTATE bombers that were recently released, go ahead and suck it up and but one. You won't be disappointed. It was $10 a bottle at the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Tonka</span> Bottle Shop, and $11 at The Four <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Firkins</span>, but it won't be around for long, and it was very very very good. I didn't bother to blog it because it's unlikely that you'll be able to find it anyway, but I thought I should at least mention it so that you aren't scared away by the price if you see it. At the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Tonka</span> Bottle Shop they aren't even putting it out, they are just asking people who they think might be interested in it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Once again, if the liquor store guys tells you that he has something in the back room for you, and tells you that they are not putting it out for regular sale, just buy it, don't even ask how much it is. That's advice to live by.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094323841303893520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962864151303505448.post-61114204663131153412009-09-08T20:03:00.007-05:002009-09-08T20:18:59.564-05:00Fantasy Football on Tap<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Getting ready for the BFL Fantasy Football Draft in about a half hour. For those of you who don't know, BFL stands for Big Fun League. It's been big fun since sometime around 1990, and it has come a very long way. Lots of old high school friends, along with a couple of good guys we've picked up along the way.Almost as important as whom I will be drafting, is what I will be drinking. Here's a list, complete with pictures.<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Round 1</div><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jZedoBeb99E/Sqb_fYiMjbI/AAAAAAAAACk/9nBq2ojNZzQ/s320/P9080066.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379267719567543730" /><div style="text-align: left;">I'll be starting it off with some Hop Juice, Double India Pale Ale from the Two Brothers Brewing Company. It looks really good, and I probably won't need to eat for a few days. I have high hopes for this one.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Round 2</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jZedoBeb99E/Sqb_8JQvd5I/AAAAAAAAACs/nIhxIyZTD6s/s320/P9080067.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379268213684008850" /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'll be following the Double India with my current favorite - Furious from the Surly Brewing Company. It's brewed right here outside of Minneapolis, and don't let the can fool you - this is some awesome stuff. It has been tearing up the local scene for the past 2 years, growing like crazy. It's heavy, and you know you are drinking some good beer while it goes down. Hopefully I won't hate my team by the time this one comes out.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Round 3</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jZedoBeb99E/SqcA7L3C0LI/AAAAAAAAAC0/ukCEr2mWeqs/s320/P9080068.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379269296713289906" /><div>For the next round, I'll be tasting some of my old favorite, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Yes, President Obama will be with me, in the form of this comemorative glass that my brother in law brought back from the inauguration. Can the Minneapolis Liberals become BFL Champions? YES WE CAN!</div><div><br /></div><div>Round 4</div><div><br /></div><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jZedoBeb99E/SqcBfTDU8bI/AAAAAAAAAC8/uZVLDnJs5SA/s320/P9080069.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379269917119148466" /><div><br />The BFL Draft is a marathon, it's not a sprint. And since I have been trying to lose some weight, and there are 90 calories in a Miller Lite (vs 270 in a Sierra Nevada), Miller Lite is coming to the party. It's just like water anyway.</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, if things go bad, or if the power goes out at the wrong time, there's always the one beverage that has never sent anyway on the wrong path:</div><div><br /> <img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jZedoBeb99E/SqcCOT42BdI/AAAAAAAAADE/LG3SJupKMtY/s320/P9080070.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379270724797466066" /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094323841303893520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962864151303505448.post-74115375444696440132009-07-28T09:09:00.004-05:002009-07-28T09:27:11.239-05:00Health Insurance and Life InsuranceI've said it before and I will say it again - the answer to our health care cost issues in this country can be at least partially solved by a change in pricing. If we charge for health insurance the same way we charge for life insurance, we would save a lot of money because the fatties would have to pay their fair, and this is important, their CONTROLLABLE share.<br /><br /><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090727/ap_on_he_me/us_med_obesity_costs">Here's an article</a> that says 10% of our medical spending is going for our obese fellow Americans. Talk about waste in the system!<br /><br />Let's take two people. I'll be one of them. I am 33 years old, I weigh 215 pounds, and I don't smoke. The guy next to me is 33 years old, weighs 350 pounds, smokes two packs of Marlboro Reds a day and drinks nothing more than coffee and Mountain Dew. If this person and I went to get life insurance, the other guy would have to pay nearly TRIPLE what I would pay for the same amount of coverage (those who have bought life insurance know what I am talking about). Let me put that in simple terms: over the 20 year span of our life insurance policy, my friendly co-worker is 3 times more likely to die than I am. But if this other person and I participate in our employer provided health insurance program, we would pay exactly the same amount per month, and we would have the same co-pays and deductibles. Does it seem reasonable to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">assume</span> that we will consume the same amount of health services? NO. Then why do we pay the same amount?<br /><br />I am NOT in favor of genetic screening for disease and pricing health plans that way. That's not fair - you cannot control the genes you were born with. But you can control <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">what</span> you eat, what you smoke and what you drink. I think it is reasonable to ask people to pay for the choices they make. I also think that if my <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">coworker's</span> out of pocket expense what three to four times what mine was, a lot of people out there would stop consuming all the bad things that are making them fat.<br /><br />Who knows, we could probably pay for health insurance for all the kids in this country with the savings. But I guess that makes me a socialist.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094323841303893520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962864151303505448.post-87405096553875089452009-07-24T14:26:00.005-05:002009-07-24T15:00:54.991-05:00Welcome Home from China Professor Gates<span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;color:#cccccc;">Debates about <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">healthcare</span> be damned! A prominent black man has accused a police officer of racism - we must get to the bottom of this!<br /><br />Like the rest of the mainstream media, I think the debate about the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">healthcare</span> system in this country is too complex to think and write about, so I am going to move onto something quite a bit simpler - a black man getting arrested by a white cop.<br /><br />I'm not a constitutional scholar, but I have watched a lot of Law and Order. I have also read the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, which reads as follows: </span><blockquote><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;color:#cccccc;"><em>The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.</em></span></blockquote><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;color:#cccccc;">The racial element of this situation is what is getting most people excited, and I think it is unfortunate that that particular angle is framing the debate about Gates' arrest. As details are released, and each side tells and retells their story, what is becoming clear is that neither Professor Gates nor the arresting officer distinguished themselves during this incident. Did the Cambridge Police act "stupidly" as President Obama described? I don't know, but the facts seem to indicate that the Cambridge Police acted unconstitutionally, which is a far more serious matter.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;color:#cccccc;">Did the police have probable cause to ask Gates for his drivers license? Yes. However, the moment that the police confirmed that Gates was in his own home, their probable cause to ask Gates more questions evaporated. The police, under the constitution, should have said, "Good bye, sir." And that is all. It's not up to the police to decide if they can search our houses. Without a properly executed search warrant, it is ILLEGAL for them to search our "persons, houses, papers and effects". Whatever complaints and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">belligerence</span> Gates demonstrated during the incident is completely irrelevant. ESPECIALLY after the police determined Gates was, in fact, in his own home.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;color:#cccccc;">Reports indicate that the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">officer</span> asked Gates if he (the officer) could look around Gates' house. Gates said no. The right to not be searched or detained without cause is fundamental in our country, and is one of the cornerstones of the freedom we have here. The reaction of many right wingers out there is laughable. You may be familiar with this quote:</span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;color:#cccccc;"><em>Extremism in defence of liberty is no vice.</em></span></blockquote><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;color:#cccccc;">None other than famous bleeding heart lefty BARRY GOLDWATER said that at the 1964 Republican National Convention. But now, some 45 years later, anyone expressing that kind of sentiment is laughed off as a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">wingnut</span> liberal. Well I have grown tired of that attitude.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;color:#cccccc;">Reports have also indicated that Gates was agitated at the time, and was yelling at the cops who were there. Ask yourself this question: If you are ever arrested and handcuffed on the porch of your own home for "disorderly conduct" and the only people you were disturbing were the officers who were arresting you - arresting you illegally in your mind - don't you think you would be upset too? Don't you think that your <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">friends</span> would later say that the police had acted "stupidly" in such a case? </span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;color:#cccccc;">Liberty is being challenged in this country. The arrest of Professor Gates in his own home for "disorderly conduct" should be all the evidence you need to see that. </span></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094323841303893520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962864151303505448.post-45337552375531189092009-07-13T14:45:00.002-05:002009-07-13T15:05:08.000-05:00The Hold Steady really showed me somethingThe Hold Steady at the Basilica Block Party on Saturday was absolutely amazing. An amazing setting, a crowd ready to pop, and a band that not only loves what they do, but a band that was positively determined to make sure everyone had a great time.<br /><br />Andy and Joanna met Nicole and I there about 15 minutes before the show started. I was pretty excited, and I hoped that Joanna and Andy would be treated to an excellent performance. They were going out on a limb, spending $50 a ticket to see a band they didn't know much about. My reputation was on the line a bit, but I was confident.<br /><br />What did I think of the show? Nicole demanded to take my picture two songs into the set. Click on this and see if you think I was having a good time: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=528161&l=362291cdf9&id=1418517246">http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=528161&l=362291<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">cdf</span>9&id=1418517246</a><br /><br />Nicole was raving afterwards as well. If you aren't familiar with The Hold Steady, the set list they played would be an excellent <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">introduction</span>:<br /><br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Constructive</span> Summer<br />Hot Soft Light<br />Chips Ahoy!<br />Sequestered In Memphis<br />The <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Swish</span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error">Magazines</span><br />Massive Nights<br />Party Pit<br />Don’t Let Me Explode<br />Stevie Nix<br />Multitude of Casualties<br />Yeah Sapphire<br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Southtown</span> Girls<br />Lord, I’m Discouraged<br />Your Little <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">Hoodrat</span> Friend<br />Stay Positive<br />Slapped Actress<br />How a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">Resurrection</span> Really Feels<br /><br />Encore:<br />Citrus<br />First Night<br />Stuck Between Stations<br />Killer Parties<br /><br />I was amazed at how close we were - I'm not the kind of guy who is willing to push up through a crowd, so I usually just watch from where ever I get to when I walk in. But we had a great view, and the weather could not have been better. I've seen crowds that were into shows before, but everyone I saw there was absolutely THRILLED to be where they were. Honestly, the encore was so great that I would pay another $50 to get a concert DVD if they put it on sale today.<br /><br />To make an awesome night even better, as we walked back with all the other people leaving the concert, we walk past Eli's, and wouldn't you know it, an outside table for 4 was there waiting for us. I mean, there is NO WAY that happens right? Between Basilica, Green Day and the Twins, I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">estimate</span> there were 9 billion people downtown on Saturday, and there's a table just sitting there waiting for us.<br /><br />A special THANKS to Joanna and Andy for joining us - those guys took a risk, and I was happy to see them having a good time. Your Hold Steady <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">compilation</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">CDs</span> will be burned and ready for you the next time I see you!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094323841303893520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962864151303505448.post-53675625311969919672009-07-01T12:06:00.006-05:002009-07-01T21:30:46.636-05:00I Totally Smoked It<div>Well, I did it. After being literally obsessed with the terra cotta smoker episode of Good Eats for weeks, I finally put it all together, and made it happen. Here's the story - with pictures, of my journey to the land of true barbecue.<br /><br /><img alt="P1010308" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2455/3677358976_f4f8946efb.jpg" width="500" height="375" /><br /><br />The smoker itself needs to be off the ground a bit so that there can be some air flow. There were lots of choices of course, including actual terra cotta pot stand things, but that seemed a little classy for me. I found these bricks for $0.49 each - which was good because by the time I got this the point where I was going to buy these, I was way over budget. And they match the pots pretty well, too.<br /><br /><img alt="P1010309" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2471/3677359298_2a79b85ce9.jpg" width="500" height="375" /><br /><br />Then I remembered that since there would be wood burning, it might be a good idea to have a fire extinguisher nearby.<br /><br /><img alt="P1010311" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2671/3676544709_f096000576.jpg" width="500" height="375" /><br /><br />That's the bottom half of the smoker, put on the bricks. See, this is not rocket science here. The terra cotta pots are the 16" size, which I picked because of the grill that fit inside best. Also, they were a little more than I thought they would be, around $22 each.<br /><br /><img alt="P1010313" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2614/3677360368_9afa8d4165.jpg" width="500" height="375" /><br /><br />That's a $10 burner I got at Walgreen's. The best reason to go with bigger pots would be that the burner would probably fit inside better. This is a 1000 watt model, which is the minimum that is going to provide enough heat. If there was a 1500 watt one, I would have used it. As you can see, I ran the cord out of the bottom hole of the pot.<br /><br /><img alt="P1010318" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2580/3677361480_03f4f07c9f.jpg" width="500" height="375" /><br /><br />That's some wood in a heavy duty pie pan on top of the burner. You can't use those flimsy metal pie tins, as they will likely melt, which could wreck your whole thing. Plus - yuck, I don't think you want to eat that stuff. So I knew I had to have a pretty heavy duty pie tin. The wood you see there is Wild Cherry wood, which is nothing special really, I got a bag of it from the Co-op for $10. THERE IS NOT ENOUGH WOOD ON THAT PAN IN THIS PICTURE. I realized later that piling the wood on was a much better idea. It was hard getting it to be hot enough otherwise.<br /><br /><img alt="P1010319" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3641/3677362014_ba55b7f9b2.jpg" width="500" height="375" /><br /><br />Then I put the grill on (after I turned the burner on of course). The fit was perfect, which is why I had decide on this size of pot. That's actually the bottom grill from a full size Weber, the one that the coals are normally placed on. It could not have fit in the smoker better.<br /><br /><img alt="P1010322" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2522/3677362682_1002c96c8c.jpg" width="375" height="500" /><br /><br />The last pieces were to put the other terra cotta pot on top, and plug the whole with the thermometer. That's a simple replacement thermometer, and it has a short stem on it. I don't think it is the most accurate reading possible, but it looks cool and it does cover the top hole. Although at $9, it was a little steep.<br /><br /><img alt="P1010323" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3658/3677362892_528aec9932.jpg" width="500" height="375" /><br /><br />Feel the love. You know that feeling when you can't stop thinking about something for weeks and then you finally make it happen? That's the smile I get on my face when that happens to me. It was cool.<br /><br /><img alt="P1010324" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2252/3677363124_1fa3c39c3a.jpg" width="375" height="500" /><br /><br />SMOKE!<br /><br />Now this is where things did get a little dicey. I had three overall concerns before I began this project:<br /><br /><ol><br /><li>Don't burn the house down.</li><br /><li>Don't give myself a third degree burn playing with this stuff.</li><br /><li>Make sure the smoker is not too hot, thereby defeating the purpose of the slow-cooked barbecue.</li></ol><br /><p>It turns out that the biggest problem I encountered was none of the above. I actually hard a hard time getting the whole thing <em>hot enough </em>to cook on. I had no interest in giving my family salmonella poisoning, so I had planned on pre-heating the smoker to make sure that it could get hot enough, BEFORE I put any food on the grill.</p><p>Much to my amazement, the thermometer on the grill seemed to be stuck around 175 degrees (I was looking for at least 225). I turned up the burner all the way, and then Nicole suggested I put more wood on, which was a great idea. I put a nice tower of wood on there, and then things got going. But the thermometer never registered above 200.</p><p>It was definitely hotter than that in the grill, which was very good news. I had always figured that it would be hottest at the top of the smoker, but I am almost 100% certain that it was much hotter lower in the smoker, closer to the grill. The bottom terra cotta pot was very hot to the touch, and when I finally put some wings on to give it a try, they sizzled, so I knew it was working.</p><p>Now, on to the meat:</p><br /><p><img alt="P1010325" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2461/3676548237_61bc482e49.jpg" width="500" height="375" /></p><br /><p>I started with wings because they are cheap, and would provide some measure of instant satisfaction since they would be cooked in about an hour. I marinated these is beer, Dr. Pepper and Louisiana Hot Sauce most of the day. It was a very thin marinade, which I wanted because I didn't want lots of stuff dripping down onto the wood. These were on the smoker for around an hour, and then I slapped the on the grill for a couple minutes to finish them.</p><br /><p>I thought they were awesome. Others likes them too, but not as much. But you could almost taste the cherry from the smoking wood - it was very cool, and very satisfying to know that the smoker was indeed hot enough to got for something bigger.</p><br /><p><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2477/3676548689_a323f0218f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P1010327" /> </p><p>That is a 4 pound organic, free range chicken I got from the co-op. I love these chickens because they are cheap and very versatile. It's like a blank canvas - or something like that. </p><p>Anyway, I butterflied the chicken which was really fun, but not for the faint of heart. I wish I had had some surgical gloves - in fact, I might just buy a box because more and more I think it is a good idea to handle your meat that way. </p><p>After butterflying the bird, I did something I had never done before - I brined it. I made my brine in a small, clean cooler that I had. It was a mixture of water, salt, and molasses. There are about a million different brine recipes out there. I didn't want to cook my brine, because I didn't have time to wait for it to cool back down. It seems to me that if you aren't going to cook the brine, there isn't much point in putting a bunch of spices in it. Plus I was planning on using a rub for the chicken anyway, so no big deal. </p><p>I put the chicken in the cooler with the brine and a bag of ice to keep it cool and hold the chicken down. I brined for somewhere between 6 and 8 hours. I guess you aren't supposed to go too long, because your meat will turn to mush. Once the time was up, I took the meat out and rinsed it thoroughly, then dried it before applying my rub.</p><p>I have made my own rub before, from a recipe of course, and I really like to do it. Now that I can get bulk spices from the co-op, it's way cheaper to make your own rub. After you make a couple of rubs, you realize that SALT is the main ingredient in rubs. Since I had already brined this meat, I made my rub without salt this time. </p><p>Rub it up , and then I got it on the smoker. At this point, I was running up against the clock a little. The while process had already taken longer than I wanted it to, and the family wasn't going to wait until 10 pm to eat. So after 2 hours on the smoker, I took it off and finished it on the grill. When I put the meat thermometer in the chicken, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was already up to 140 degrees, on its way to 165. I figure another hour on the smoker would have done it. But it only took 15 more minutes on the grill. </p><p><br /><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3636/3676548903_56065bd694.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P1010330" /></p><p>That's the finished bird right there. From that point, I took all the skin off, and then tore all the meat off the bones. We cut the meat up and used it for sandwiches. They were crazy good at the time, but the surprising thing was that they were even smokier the next day! And Nicole's Mom absolutely LOVED the meat we brought over for her. I don't even think she was just being nice.</p><p>I will absolutely be smoking away some more! It wasn't THAT hard, and the food was really good, and it isn't something you have every day. I still want to do the pork butt from the original tv show I saw that gave me this idea, but beef brisket and ribs are totally going to be good on there as well. </p><p>It was an excellent experience, it totally worked, and other than needing a shower and new clothes when I was done (stinky stinky smoke and meat!), we all got through it unscathed.</p></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094323841303893520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962864151303505448.post-29646020373208478182009-05-06T09:59:00.003-05:002009-05-06T10:52:11.841-05:00Sen. Specter confirms his own total lack of actual beliefsSen. Specter (R/D - PA) recently got himself in the news by switching parties. Democrats are happy, as it seems like they can pass their agenda without worrying about Republicans in the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Senate</span> getting in the way through filibuster. I'm not so sure that this is a good thing - for Democrats or the country. Also, Sen. Specter is a perfect illustration of why we need term limits.<br /><br />First of all, it will be VERY easy for Republicans to run for office in 2010. All they have to do in each individual race is discuss the evils of single party rule in America. It will be easy for the GOP to raise money, and it will be easier for them to win toss-up races. So Democrats should expect to lose some seats in the next election, which will undoubtedly be <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">portrayed</span> by the mass-media as a referendum on President <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Obama's</span> first two years in office, even though the election will have nothing to do with that (they like to write the easy stories).<br /><br />Second of all, sometimes I think I am the last liberal out there who thinks that two-party rule is actually a good thing for America. I don't want either party to have complete control of the government, and with 60 votes in the Senate, that's what we would have. The <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">primary</span> reason for this is that I don't trust Democrats in Congress anymore than I trust Republicans. Us regular folks like to think that our Congressional leaders are doing what they think is best for the country, but in reality, they are doing whatever is best for them personally, financially, professionally. There is no better example of this than Sen. Specter.<br /><br />Why did Sen. Specter switch parties? Because he realized over the years that his views were more in line <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">with t</span>he Democrats than the Republicans? This man was elected as part of the Reagan Revolution. In order for us to believe that Specter's philosophy is now more closely aligned with Democratic philosophy than it is with Republican philosophy, you would also have to believe that if Reagan were alive today, that he too would be considering a change in party. If you want to know how crazy THAT is, ask your Republican friends if they think Reagan would be a Democrat today. I recommend doing this over the phone, or in a room without sharp objects.<br /><br />You could argue that the Republican Party of today has moved to the Right, and that there are several litmus tests that they put candidates through, and if candidates don't pass <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">those</span> tests, well, tough luck. But be careful - I don't hear about a lot of Pro-Life Democrats out there, and Sen. Nelson (D - Nebraska) is already getting called out by Democrats for not towing the party line and worshipping Obama and everything his administration does. Democrats are just as guilty as Republicans of playing that game.<br /><br />The ONLY reason that Sen. Specter is becoming a Democrat is because if he didn't, he would lose his seat in the next election. There's no way he wins a Republican primary in PA. Apparently, Specter believes that he is entitled to his seat, and be damned anyone who wants VOTE him out of office. He's been serving in the Senate so long, that even if the people who helped elect him in the past don't want him to serve anymore, in Specter's world<em>, it's not up to them anymore. </em> Think about how truly anti-democratic that really is.<br /><br />If you want <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">further</span> evidence of Specter's cynical view of our political system, look no further than his recent comments regarding the Senate race in Minnesota between Norm Coleman and Al <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Franken</span>. Sen. Specter said he wants Coleman to win. Why would he want that? Because Specter's philosophy and Coleman's are closely aligned? Then why did Specter switch parties? Because Coleman is Jewish? Nope, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Franken</span> is too. It turns out that Specter doesn't want Coleman to win, he wants <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Franken</span> to win. Here's the link: <a href="http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/05/06/specter/index.html?source=refresh">http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/05/06/specter/index.html?source=refresh</a><br /><br />And the quote:<br /><p>"In the swirl of moving from one caucus to another, I have to get used to my new teammates. I'm ordinarily pretty correct in what I say. I've made a career of being precise. I conclusively misspoke."</p><p><em>I have to get used to my new teammates.</em> In other words, I support <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Franken</span>, not because I think he own fairly, or because his philosophy is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">in line</span> with mine. I support <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Franken</span> because I am now on his team. That's all it is to these leaders - especially the ones who have made it their job in life to be Senator, or Congressman. It's just a game, with teams, and scoreboards - winners and losers. What matters most is winning, and whatever you can do to make sure that you are on the winning side is the right thing to do, even if it means switching teams in the middle of the game. </p><p>It's sad really. I am sure that Specter has no idea what he believes anymore. His sole focus at this point is retaining his Senate seat, a seat given to him by God, no matter what the voters in the state of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Pennsylvania</span> have to say about it. </p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094323841303893520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962864151303505448.post-4559827831218355412009-04-25T07:27:00.002-05:002009-04-25T07:29:45.340-05:00Potato SaladI have to include this awesome salad we made the other night. <a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/grilled-potato-salad-recipe.html">http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/grilled-potato-salad-recipe.html</a><div><br /></div><div>It basically ended up being a lot like a classic Chose potato packet mixed into a nice green salad, but even better than that really. Go easy on the sesame oil - a little goes a long way. I used the grill pan to make the potatoes - make sure you cut them thin so they will cook through. Mmmmm, TASTY!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094323841303893520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962864151303505448.post-2151518504511966762009-04-18T08:06:00.004-05:002009-04-18T08:21:50.400-05:00Summit and David Bowie<div style="text-align: left;">For those who haven't heard, Summit is releasing it's first new variety in several years. Horizon Red Ale is in bars right now, although apparently the release there has been limited. Since I can't remember the last time I was in a bar (no, not like that), I'll have to wait for it to appear in retail stores. My local liquor store tells me they will have 6-packs available starting April 28. You can read about it <a href="http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/dining/43064057.html?elr=KArksUUUU">here.</a> It's all very exciting if you ask me. Super <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">hoppy</span> beer from Summit? Sounds right up my alley.</div><div><br /></div><div>The other exciting tidbit for today (4/18) is that Amazon has David Bowie's Heroes album available for <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heroes/dp/B000TEPKAW/ref=amb_link_84121311_2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=browse&pf_rd_r=1MV64QG1KP4S6Y6H9C44&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=473729331&pf_rd_i=163856011">download today for just $1.99</a>. It's lovely. I have never given Bowie enough credit for his music. Much of it is astounding.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lastly, since I am always supposed to include pictures in my posts, here is a pic from right before Easter:</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jZedoBeb99E/SenTtDeh06I/AAAAAAAAAB8/GwKoPMYQZXQ/s1600-h/P1010133.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jZedoBeb99E/SenTtDeh06I/AAAAAAAAAB8/GwKoPMYQZXQ/s320/P1010133.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326020805323248546" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094323841303893520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962864151303505448.post-83369585087944780632009-04-08T11:02:00.002-05:002009-04-08T11:38:26.142-05:00What's a Blog?<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jZedoBeb99E/SdzM493GFdI/AAAAAAAAABs/p3LenihjNuI/s1600-h/0407091650.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322354138695472594" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jZedoBeb99E/SdzM493GFdI/AAAAAAAAABs/p3LenihjNuI/s320/0407091650.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><p>It's not really a blog if you never have any entries, but I think it is funny that my last post was asking if I should blog the labor and birth of our second daughter, and then nothing for weeks. Yes, we've been busy. And it has been a challenge, adjusting to two kids. But as you can see from this picture, Nadia is starting to give a little back, and we are getting better at being parents as well. Do I dare say that we are getting the hang of things? No, I don't. Whenever we do that, a new problem seems to surface. We'll just leave it at this: we are happy, Nadia is healthy, Josephine is a joy, and Wilson is Wilson.</p><p>Here is a list of ideas I have had for posts that I may get to over the next few months:</p><ol><li>Beer. This was going to be a beer blog, and I still really like that idea. Right now I am drinking a lot of Surly Furious, but I am looking forward to expanding some horizons this summer. I have a lot to say about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Hopslam</span> from Bell's, but if you can find it and have $16 to blow on a six pack of beer, go get some, don't wait for me.</li><li>Music. I have a couple of ideas here. I just floated a top 10 albums of all-time idea to Jonathan, and we'll have to see where that goes. I am also trying very very hard to listen to new music all the time. I plan on posting about some of these artists over the course of the summer.</li><li>Social Media in general. My experience with Twitter and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Facebook</span> has given me lots of ideas for posts. Twitter in particular is all of the news recently, and I have some things to say about it. It's no for everyone, and you have to figure out how to weed out the noise (Noah hit it on the head with his "noise" description of Twitter), but if you can do that, it can be a pretty cool way to get and share information.</li><li>Politics. Obama is popular, but are we seeing any change? Will Minnesota ever have more than one Senator? Can Michelle <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Bachmann</span> keep producing material at the rate she currently is?</li><li>Vacation. Will the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Chose's</span> ever take one? If so, when? And where will they go? </li></ol><p>So that's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">a lot</span> of good ideas. I plan on making time to write some of them up. I'm open to other ideas as well - let me know!</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094323841303893520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962864151303505448.post-44842609946357946622009-02-16T12:29:00.001-06:002009-02-16T12:29:07.180-06:00To Blog/Twitter, or Not<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thechoses/2063063635/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2173/2063063635_0c10d0de27_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thechoses/2063063635/">P1011851</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/thechoses/">adamchose</a></span></div>I had a thought to twitter or blog the upcoming labor/birth of our second daughter. I'm not sure if it is feasible or not, or interesting. It might be an easy way to keep family informed of what is going, and it might also be cool - it would make her a very "web 2.0" baby. I am open to thoughts on the issue...<br /><br />That's Josephine of course, such a sweetheart at less than one day old even!<br clear="all" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094323841303893520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962864151303505448.post-75624933696461257782009-02-11T17:10:00.004-06:002009-02-11T17:18:40.740-06:00TOP 10 - THIS IS THE END<span style="font-family:arial;">The Final Installment: Top 10 Is Complete! It is now safe for me to fly and end up stranded on a tropical island with a CD player and unlimited batteries forever.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Viva-Roxy-Music/dp/B000TEPL56/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1234394216&sr=1-12">Roxy Music - If There is Something - Viva! Live Roxy Music</a><br /><br />First of all, this Roxy Music live album should be the only live album they ever released, because it rules, and their other ones, well, I think they leave something to be desired. There is an every and crispness to these performances that I don't hear on later live albums. It's sort of amazing, they never really had a full time bass player. Between live preformaces and studio sessions, they had more than 10 different bass players play with them (maybe you don't think that's amazing, but bass players are much more important than a lot of people realize).<br /><br />I think that Bryan Ferry is one of those guys who is polarizing to a lot of music fans - you either really like him or you really do not like him. There is a certain pretentiousness about him that can be off-putting - he doesn't seem like the kind of guy you would want to sit down and have a beer with. (Isn't it amazing the traits that we assign to rock stars, I mean, I don't know the guy, but I am willing to state publicly that I would not have a beer with him. Talk about judging a book by its cover!) But he has a cool voice, a good look, he is very sure of himselg, and he likes what he is doing. When he let's it fly at the end of this one, it's sweeping and glorious, and he takes you with him - right back - when you were young.<br /><br />Phil Manzanera had a great look in the 70's, with long hair and outrageous outfits. He was more than serviceable on guitar as well, although Ferry wrote almost all of their music. Basically, you look at him and say, "well, let me guess. This is where British art-rock came from right?"<br /><br />This song in particular shows a lot of what makes Roxy Music so great, and powerful live performers in the 70's. Nice long solos help build from a simple beginning. By the time the guitar solo and violin solos come, it's a completely different song. Then, in the final section. Ferry really lets us have it. What a joy.<br /><br />The posted video here is from The Old Grey Whistle Test, which is must viewing for anyone who likes 70's and 80's live performaces. Just look at him in this video - Ferry's look is no less than 10 years ahead of its time. And is that Brain Eno on keys? Oh my.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TWfXqae1NzA&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TWfXqae1NzA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />I also have to mention that they were #98 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest bands ever. I am sorry, but that is just plain wrong. It makes me crazy to think about it.<br /><br />Last, and not least...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/America-Tribute-Heroes-Various-Artists/dp/B00005TNSK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1234394286&sr=1-1">U2 - Walk On - from America: A Tribute to Heroes </a><br /><br />There was no way U2 was not going to make this list. I consider them the best band of all time. We can argue about it forever if you want, but that's how I think of them. They have produced 3 of the 10 albums of all-time: The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby! and All That You Can't Leave Behind. That's remarkable, to have created truly seminal albums THREE TIMES in their career. And my absolute favorite show I have ever seen in person was not Phish, but U2, at Target Center in 2001. We were behind the stage, and paid $55 per ticket, but they made it worth every single penny. For three hours I was in almost total and complete ecstasy. They know how to give a live performace.<br /><br />There's a lot of good stuff on the Tribute to Heroes discs. Mariah Carey singing America the Beautiful with Willie Nelson still gives poor Willie nightmares I am sure. Neil Young's Imagine performance was also amazing. But the best performance of all was U2, in a studio by themselves, singing their signature single of that time, Walk On. (They were closing most shows with it at the time, with PEACE written in many different languages spinning around the arena. U2 walks the line between awesome and lame, emotional and cheese, more than any other band I know. They often cross over it, but most of the time they are right on it, and the results are beautiful).<br /><br />From the beginning softly spoken words "I'm sick of hearing/ again and again/ that there's never gonna be/ peace on earth", and his "Goodnight from London" (always reminds me that there was no flying still at the end of that week), you know they are not going to mail in this performace. And while they stay under control the whole time, I think you can see some strain on their faces, even these guys (Edge is possibly the coolest individual of all-time). There are so many lines that get me in this one, like, "we're packing a suitcase for a place/ none of us has been/ a place that has to be believed/ to be seen". Then in the end his promise: "See you when I get home!" Well, it sends the softer ones among us to the brink of emotional release. Even to this day. It's an amazing performace, and it's connection to 9/11 makes it that much more poignant, without taking emotional advantage. A few months later, they performed at halftime of the Super Bowl, another incredible scene. That might be the best Super Bowl halftime ever (although if you put a gun to my head, I would probably say Prince in 2007 was the best ever, I mean, he was able to make it rain in Miami for the love og God. Who else could do that?)<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/h2-qT1fjwA8&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/h2-qT1fjwA8&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />That's it! The List is complete! Here is the final tally:<br /><ol><br /><li>Van Morrison - Astral Weeks</li><br /><li>Bad Religion - Skyscraper</li><br /><li>The Velvet Underground - Heroin</li><br /><li>Phish - Harry Hood (live)</li><br /><li>Felix Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto in e minor</li><br /><li>Coldplay - The Hardest Part</li><br /><li>Neil Young w/ The Band - Helpless (live)</li><br /><li>Dave Matthews Band - Seek Up (live)</li><br /><li>Roxy Music - If There is Something (live)</li><br /><li>U2 - Walk On - (live)</li><br /></ol>Four songs that start with H. 5 songs that feature a violin/viola at some point. 5 LIVE recordings. I didn't set out to make that happen, it just did, but I guess it is not THAT surprising. I might have to publish the list of songs that came close but fell short. And I'll burn mp3 discs for anyone who wants one!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094323841303893520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962864151303505448.post-84151264620039142572009-02-10T14:53:00.005-06:002009-02-10T15:05:22.698-06:00Top 10 Continued<p><span style="font-family:arial;">Now that I have caught my breath after the Super Bowl, it's time to get back to the top 10. Jonathan's is all wrapped up, so if we want to get together to have beers and listen, I better get mine done too. Without further ado, and also without any of the cool videos that Jonathan uses, here's more from my Top 10 list:</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Last-Waltz-Robbie-Robertson/dp/B00003CXB1/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1234299461&sr=8-1">Neil Young - Helpless</a><br /><br />I would have a ha<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">rd</span> time accepting any list of this kind that did not include at least one Neil Young track. Arguably the greatest singer/songwriter of the past 50 years (don't get excited Bob Dylan fans, I said arguably), I could have filled an entire Top 10 list with his songs alone. What is it about Neil that is so awesome?<br /><br />1. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Lyrics - I</span> do not consider lyrics, especially most rock lyrics, to have much weight. Too often the rhymes are so forced, and the imagery so childish, that it is more fun to make up my own lyrics. Not so with Neil. Here's the opening from Helpless:<br /><br />There is a town in north Ontario,With dream comfort memory to spare,And in my mind I still need a place to go,All my changes were there<br /><br />That's good stuff. The lyrics of this song in particular make you think while you enjoy them, which adds to the awesomeness of this song.<br /><br />2. Music and Voice<br />He can do beautiful, poignant, angry, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">rockin</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">folky</span> - whatever you want. He can absolutely do it all - you cannot put him in a box. And the quality is always top notch, too. He can make noise too (Sleeps with Angels is an often overlooked album, or it is only considered as part of the Kurt Cobain saga). This particular recording, on my top 10 list, is from The Last Waltz concert, with The Band. It starts out <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">acoustic</span>, mellow. His haunting voice (no other word describes it so well, I think) let's the audience know what's coming, and then... By the end, they are absolutely ROCKING on this song, and I can hardly stop myself from screaming it along with them. Talk about having a good time - you can see it. An excellent performance.<br /><br />3. Attitude/Mystique<br />My favorite story is from the MTV Unplugged sessions, when he got up and walked out during rehearsals because the band they brought in was not ready. They came back a couple of months later and did it right. Not many rock artists out there would have the guts to maintain that kind of a standard. Another one was one of the guys in Crazy Horse saying that they basically had to operate knowing that any day Neil might show up and say, "that's in, I'm leaving for awhile", and there was nothing they could do about it but accept it. That's the kind of crazy I want in my rock stars! I really think that for Neil it is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">not</span> about himself, but about the music, which sounds really silly of course, except that for him it is true, so you have to love it.<br /><br />Last note - this recording features Joni Mitchell singing in the background - they hid her behind a curtain so that the audience wouldn't know she had her own set coming up. And it was very hard for me to cut Coyote from this list, but Neil hits an <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">absolute</span> home run here.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-at-Red-Rocks-8-15-95/dp/B000002X4Y/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1234299564&sr=8-1">Dave Matthews Band - Seek Up - Live at Red Rocks</a><br />Here's another violin song, and believe me, I would LOVE to play along sometime. If you have ever been to Red Rocks, you can imagine what this set opener must have been like - you're about ready to pop waiting for the show <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">to</span> start and then they come out with 15 minutes like this - I am <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">surprised</span> anyone had any energy left be the end.<br /><br />This one has all of the things that I liked about Dave, and none of the things I don't like. I like his voice, the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">rhythm</span> section, and the solos in the long jams. I don't like pretentious Dave, Dave that talks too much telling stories, and Dave talking about girls. That's annoying Dave, and it's covered up nicely here. They do a good job of making you wait, not giving away the jam too soon. And the end section with him wailing and the violin freaking out in the background sounds like a lot of fun. Excellent stuff. This song is a fantastic way to spend 15 minutes!</span></p><p>Here's a summary of what I have so far:</p><ol><li>Van Morrison - Astral Weeks</li><li>Bad Religion - Skyscraper</li><li>The Velvet Underground - Heroin</li><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Phish</span> - Harry Hood (live)</li><li>Felix Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto in e minor</li><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Coldplay</span> - The Hardest Part</li><li>Neil Young w/ The Band - Helpless (live)</li><li>Dave Matthews Band - Seek Up (live)</li></ol><p>Two more entries left, and I am very excited about them. Classics, both of them. One you've heard and one you haven't! (Unless you have been over to my house recently, then you would have heard both of them.)</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094323841303893520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962864151303505448.post-34906235361982672652009-01-30T21:24:00.000-06:002009-01-30T21:25:06.413-06:00The Casual Fan's Guide to Watching the Super Bowl (and I don't mean just the commercials)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">With the big game coming up on Sunday, I thought it would be a good idea to write a little primer for the game so that those who do not watch football every Sunday can have an idea what is going on during the game. I always thought this would be a great idea for some female oriented talk show (The View, Oprah. Rachel Ray): They should have a segment where a guy comes on who is funny and will give the audience a basic run down of what is going to happen in the game, which would probably make the game more interesting for those people watching only because the "have to". Because there really is something going on more than just new commercials (which have gotten increasingly lame over the past few years, I mean, really, can you name one truly memorable Super Bowl ad in the past few years?) The players and coaches involved in this game has decdicated the better part of their lives for the chance to be a part of this game, and I think that what they do should not be a secondary consideration to advertising.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "> </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">So here are some quick hit thoughts on each team that will make the game more interesting while you watch:</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "> </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Pittsburgh Steelers, they'll be wearing white jerseys with black helmets on Sunday:</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">The franchise has won 5 Super Bowls already - won Super Bowl XL 3 years ago - their coach is Mike Tomlin, and he will be the youngest ever to head coach a team in the Super Bowl (36) - their DEFENSE is what they are known for - their QB is young, and played very poorly in the Super Bowl three years ago - their best Wide Receiver (Hines Ward) is hurt, and we don't really know how much he will be able to contribute on Sunday - they are favored to win by 7 points, which is a pretty big margin, but not immense</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "> </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Arizona Cardinals, they'll have red jerseys on with white helmets:</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">The franchise has never been to the Super Bowl, and are usually considered to be among the worst franchises in professional sports - their Quarterback is Kurt Warner, who is one of the truly inspiration stories in all of sports - #11 Larry Fitzgerald is really an amazing wide receiver, be sure to watch whenever he gets the ball - they had a miserable ending of the season, and no one believed they would win even one playoff game (they have now won 3) - if you had bet $100 on them to win the Super Bowl before the season started, a win for them on Sunday would mean you would be collecting $4500 (now you know why people gamble) - most people do not think they can win, and that this might actually be a blowout</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "> </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">There are two sets of conventional wisdom regarding how the game will go - one for how the Steelers will win and one for how the Cardinals will win. They go like this:</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "> </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">STEELERS WIN</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">The Cardinals cannot make hardly ANY yards at all on offense for their first 3 or four drives. Meanwhile, the Steelers are running the ball ok, and they have a trick play that works, and it is something like 13-0 Steelers and the Cardinals still have not done anything on offense. Maybe Kurt Warner has turned it over once or twice as well. The Cardinals are in big trouble if the game play follows this kind of scenario.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "> </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">CARDINALS WIN</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">The Steelers turn the ball over early, and the Cardinals capitalize. They are moving the ball well, running it some and passing it more. Kurt Warner has lots of time to throw, and Larry Fitzgerald is already making his mark on the game. The Steelers start to press, Hines Ward looks like a guy with a bad knee, and have another turnover. The Cardinals are keeping it close, and need just one or two big plays (maybe in special teams where the Steelers have had problems) to take the lead.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "> </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Usually the two sets of conventional wisdom both turn out to be wrong. That's where the promise in sports lies really - ANYTHING can happen, and often does. I'll give you ONE thing to look for as you are watching that will tell you if the Cardinals have a shot to win: Watch their QB Warner when they have the ball. When he goes back to pass, watch to see if he has 3 or more seconds to stand there and throw. If he has time to throw, the Cardinals have a chance. On the other hand, if Warner drops back and is getting pounded by 300 pound guys before he can look down the field, the Cardinals will be in for a long evening.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "> </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Remember, there's more to this game than the spectacle, there's a game going on, and sometimes it's even a really good game. If you have a couple of things to look for, it can make the game more interesting for you.</div></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094323841303893520noreply@blogger.com0