Saturday, August 23, 2014

ROH Predictions for tonight

Ring of Honor presents Death Before Dishonor XII tonight in Chicago Ridge. I would think this is around the 30th ROH event I have attended. I've been going nine years and I've attended about 3-4 shows a year. One of these days, I should count up my tickets and see how many it's been. This isn't the most stacked card I've ever seen. But the 8-man elimination match and the return of Adam Pearce has me excited. Here are my picks.

ROH World Championship
"Unbreakable" Michael Elgin vs Tommaso Ciampa
 Elgin. He just won the title two months ago and is not losing it this fast.

8-Man Team Elimnation Match
The Briscoes, Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian vs The Young Bucks & ROH World Tag Team Champions, reDRagon
Tough call. I can't just pic the winning team, but who will survive. I definitely think it's a 1-on-1 in the finals. I think O'Reilly survives. If it's the other team, I pick Mark Briscoe.
 
"The Phenomenal" AJ Styles vs Cedric Alexander
The veteran AJ wins, but puts the up and coming star over.

Adam Cole vs Hanson
Adam Cole BAY-BAY! 

ROH World TV Champion Jay Lethal w/ Truth Martini vs Caprice Coleman
Non-title match, so i'll pick Caprice and a new feud is under way.
 
Adam Pearce vs. Adam Page
Pearce. Layup.

Veggie redemption

Dinner on Friday night was kind of lackluster. I hate to sound that way, being that people are starving. But the execution just wasn't as good as it could have been. The salmon was a little bit overcooked and the roasted veggies...well they didn't work out so well. We has summer squash, zucchini, carrots, eggplant, red onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, and a few seasonings in two pans that were filled pretty high to the rim and covered with foil. Unfortunately, they were filled so high that they couldn't really roast. And like the salmon, they were cooked so long that they really steamed more than they roasted. And then they were in the oven so long then when I tasted them, they just tasted like mush. I couldn't say anything. Hell hath no fury after all...But I wondered to myself, "How can I make these taste better?" The fact is they were going to be even worse leftover unless something was done.

The next day, Mom told me she had a plan. An old recipe that had worked before. But she had lost it somewhere along the way. I figured why not. So she took the veggies and put them in a casserole dish. She added some brown rice. She added some Mario Batali tomato sauce. She topped that with some mozzarella and cheddar cheeses and baked it the oven. I proceeded to broil it for a few minutes to get that nice crust on top. I took a bite and that was one of the best veggie dishes I'd ever had!

How did this happen? Because someone knew a tried and true recipe that still worked no matter how old it was. All it took was being in the hands of someone who remembered it and knew how to use it. And that reminded me of a spiritual lesson. God is still there if I will seek him and call on him. And it applies in another way. God is like the chef. He sees potential in thigns I don't. He can make great things out of what looks like garbage. He can make what tastes lousy suddenly taste great. And his recipes still work. They aren't going out of style and they will not fail.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Robin

Robin Williams was one of my favorite actors/comedians.entertainers of all time. There was no one else like him. As zany and wild as he could be, he had legitimate talent for acting. I'm planning to watch a few more Robin Williams films over the next week, especially "The Fisher King" and "Insomnia." And I already ahve my DVR set to record "One Hour Photo," a psychologial thriller that looks mesmerizing. I'm not going to rate which of his movies I thought were the best, that can be debated all night long. I'm not going to rate which of his performances was the best, everyone can have a different opinion. Rather, I'm going to list ten of his roles that I will most closely identify him with. Truth is there's a bit of a gap between 3 and 4!

1) Mrs. Doubtfire
2) Good Will Hunting
3) Dead Poets Society
4) Good Morning, Vietnam
5) Jumanji
6) The Birdcage
7) Hook
8) Patch Adams
9) Night at the Museum
10) License to Wed

The first two rank in my top five movies of all time. Mrs. Doubtfire is one of those movies that came out right as my parents got divorced. I remember seeing it in the theater in Edison, NJ on Oak Tree Rd, right near the Chili's and where the Kenny Rogers' Roasters used to be. I can't remember if I teared up, but I walked out feeling like things could be okay. I think I needed that then. The great thing is it is a movie that lasts and has only become more relevant as divorce as skyrocketed in this country. I was amazed to learn that there were talks about a sequel. Twenty years later! I don't know what the record is for the longest amount of time between the original and sequel, but this would have to be right up there. Shame it's never going to happen.

Good Will Hunting is one of only five movies I own on DVD, so that should indicate what kind of impact it had on me. It still reminds me of college. It's funny and I don't know how to explain why, but every time I see the film, I come away feeling stronger and more confident about myself. It was great to see Robin win his only Academy Award for this role. If I ever do return to Boston, I'll have to head to the Common and sit on the bench where he gave that amazing monologue about love, loss, and experiencing life. That may just be my favorite scene in cinema history.

Monday, August 11, 2014

Another summer's promise almost gone

1) It's that time when each day takes forever to pass. Then all of a sudden you look back and wonder where those days went.

2) Some people are just meant to come into our lives for a season. When that's the case, the best thing to do is be at peace with it, appreciate the good times, and let it go.

3) Cuban mojo pork chops, mashed sweet potatoes, roasted asparagus with parmean, ice cream with fruit and caramel sauce. Good menu for cooking with someone.

4) Looking forward to seeing my friend from Manitoba who's in town for the week. We'll be meeting at the Squared Circle and watching Raw. It's always cool to meet someone else who can appreciate pro wrestling and not disrespectfully dismiss it as childish and fake. When it's done right, it's a physical art form. When it's done wrong, it's a messy, awkward science.

5) I actually applied to be the editor of Second City Hockey. I probably don't have a hope in hell of getting this. One of the requirements is that they be an avid Chicago Blackhawk fans. I'm not going to lie about my allegiance, but I still think I can write about the team effectively. Maybe I won't get a second thought from the powers that be. But if I do, well, who knows.

6) Never eating the deep dish pizza at the food court at Willow Creek Church. Overcooked sauce and too much of it.

7) Thinking I'm almost ready to try the DDP Yoga Double Black Dimaond workout. I've done the Diamond Cutter maybe ten times already. This one is ever harder and it's over an hour long as opposed to the 50 minutes in the Diamond Cutter.

8) A lot of people were optimistic about the Jets coming into this season. I like the roster, but I was always uneasy. The schedule is the big reason. They face one great quarterback after another and they are thinnest at CB. The genius GM doesn't bring on one starting caliber CB, even allowing Darrelle Revis to go New England, of all teams. So what happens in one day in practice? Their top pick from last year, and number one CB, Dee Milliner, has a high ankle sprain and he's out for a month. His status for Opening Day is in doubt. And their 3rd round pick this year, Dexter McDougle, tears his ACL and is out for the season! I love Rex Ryan, but he needs to pull a rabbit out of his ass and figure out a way to get a decent secondary out of this group. Cause if Milliner is not healthy, I don't know how it's going to happen.

9) This past weekend actually felt weird. And it went by so slow. I didn't travel out of state for a change. Hoping to get back to New York before the year is over though.

10) P.S. You do not run on Juan Lagares!!!!

Tuesday, August 05, 2014

Portland-Part 2

It was disappointing having to miss John Ortberg preach at Willow Creek this weekend. So what instead was my top priority on a Sunday morning? Voodoo donuts, of course. The line was well out the door at 9 am and I think we waited about a half hour in line. Now I'm not a big donut eater, but this is quintessential Portland. We got a bacon maple bar, apple fritter, old fashioned with glaze and orangutan, which had orange frosting and orange sprinkles. We split all four. I have to admit eating those donuts just make you smile. The bacon maple was by far my favorite. I wish they had a raised donut with granulated sugar; that is by far my favorite. And although they offer it, I did not get married at Voodoo donuts.
 
We walked a block east to the Portland Saturday market. It was just getting started, so most of the stands were still setting up. We looked for a winter coat for Maggie, but couldn't really come to a consensus. It seemed either the size was off, the color was bad, or the lining didn't have fleece. We headed back to the courtyard, checked out, and took a cab to the Crowne Plaza. This hotel is in the northeast district and mom had a free night there since her tour was beginning the next day. It's a very nice hotel that used to be a Holiday Inn before it got remodeled. It's not the nicest area around the hotel, I mean you wouldn't expect a Martin Luther King Blvd to be a block away from a Crowne Plaza. We walked two blocks and took a streetcar back to the Northwest district.

Mom wanted to show me the Alphabet district, which is just west of the Pearl district. It's a more casual, yet very trendy shopping area. We found a nice gray and black winter coat for Maggie at 60% off. Not bad at all. We checked out a few stores and many were nice. One leather store had some great shoes, belts, and bags. Another had these really soft shirts. Sadly, they were well out of my price range.
 
For lunch, we settled on McMeniman's Ram. This company has several dozen pubs and restaurants throughout Oregon. My visit there made me wonder why. First, the music is just too loud. For a bar that tries to be decent and classy, and did not have many people sitting inside, I still had to raise my voice to have a conversation. When I got my iced tea, there was no straw or lemon. I asked the server for a straw and she didn't get me one until I asked again. In addition to our server not being very available, I'm not even sure she ever smiled at us even one time.

To the food. I ordered the communication breakdown burger with cheese, peppers mushrooms, and onions. I got the burger and I see something white on it. My hear sank. This burger had a mixture of mayo and horseradish and the menu never specified it. I guess that's why it's called a communication breakdown burger... I don't eat mayo and since the menu did not mention that there would be mayo, this really bothered me.  Mom gave me her lamb burger and she took mine. The lamb burger was fine, but not worth that much aggravation. Disappointing service and a misleading menu would keep me from coming back. We should have gone to Escape from New York for pizza or to the Jewish deli next door for a pastrami sandwich. But I let mom make the call. This time, it didn't work.
 
We walked east and went shopping in the Pearl district. We passed the Timbers soccer stadium so I took a couple of shots. They've did out every game in their the year history, which is impressive. But I'm amazed their season ticket waitlist is 6,000 people long!
 
We stopped into a yoga store on Couch St. That's pronounced kooch...I have no idea why. I must admit I noticed the employees' dress code, as they were wearing yoga outfits. One attractive woman, who must have been 40-something, offered to assist me and she was wearing a white tank top and black yoga shorts. Kind of hard not to stare, but I'm a gentleman after all. I saw one shirt that was super nice; it was a pima cotton shirt. Light blue and really soft. Unfortunately, it was a little out of my budget. Maybe one day.
 
By now, it was late afternoon and I wasn't sure what else to do. We took the streetcar loop down to south Portland, to the Portland State University campus. It took about an hour to get back. Eventually, we switched cars and found our way back to the hotel. I definitely needed to rest for a few minutes. We watched an episode of bar rescue and walked a few blocks to grab dinner at Schmizza, which is a local pizza that mom recommended. And...it was another clunker. First, when I order a Coke, I order Coke. Not a Pepsi. Coke. We then ordered a veggie pizza. They forgot the pesto chicken, which we requested. But the quality of the pizza was mediocre at best. The crust on the bottom was so soft, no crispness at all. The sauce tasted overdone. The veggies were definitely fresh though. But I have no idea why mom liked this place. Mom definitely swung and missed on both food picks, which is unusual. She typically just missed on movie picks.
 
We got back and I was ready to be alone, so I put on my bathing suit and headed to the pool. Well so much for relaxation! Lots of grandparents and grandkids, so there went any chance for quiet. I sat in the whirlpool for maybe 15 minutes and that was it. In the room, I watched two episodes of Frankenfood, read for a half hour, and went to bed.
 
And it came to be Monday morning. I actually had a weird dream that I got hired by Costco and it turned out to be military training. I have no idea, maybe it was something in that lousy pizza sauce. I had the $15.00 breakfast buffet, which was free since mom scored a voucher. After another workout, I loaded up on scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, wheat toast, potatoes with peppers, pineapple, and cantaloupe. Mom gave up her voucher for me, which she didn't have to do. But she had a Keurig coffee machine in her room, so I guess she can't complain.
 
She spent most of the morning trying to set up her voicemail and work email on her phone, which only took about four hours. Not even kidding. And the Mets were on at 9 in the morning. Of course they blew the game late. They are so dead, it is ridiculous. Anyway I left around 11:30 for the airport. The Portland airport is so different than anything else I've seen. With drop offs, cars, cabs, and shuttles all converge in the same area and there is next to no room. Ticketing went smooth and then came security. One woman swabbed my wrist with what looked like a band aid. I have no idea why my wrist was suspicious. Then they check the ID and ticket as normal. But I couldn't take my own tray. The agent chose whether we'd get one. She decided no and I stuffed everything into my backpack, but I could leave my shoes and hat on at least.
 
We got delayed over an hour, thanks to bad weather in Chicago. But it was worth it. During the delay, I got a surprise call from miss Nona, who's vacationing on the west coast from Lebanon. I would've missed her call if we'd taken off on time. Always a pleasure to hear her sweet voice. I do like the new 737 American plane, with multiple charging outlets and a personal video screen at every seat. Landing at 8:30...back to real life...
 
Actually we landed around 8:45 and stayed on the tarmac for an hour. Lightning delays kept planes at gates. So we got to the gate and I headed down to baggage claim. I wound up standing there for nearly an hour. And no Portland luggage to speak of. The carousel is spinning, but there is no luggage on it. It's kind of like the hamster wheel running with no hamster. It is absolutely comical. I was supposed to land at 7 and be home by 8 or 8:15. I did not get home till 11:30. At least Maggie isn't alone tonight.

Portland-Part 1

We landed around 12:30 after a 10 am flight out of O'Hare. The weather, as it would be for the whole trip, was in the high 80s and not a hint of rain to be seen. We took a free van (it pays to have free vouchers) to the Courtyard in the middle of downtown, or the southwest district of Portland. As I walked around this town for the first time, a couple of things stuck out to me. First, I was impressed with the public trans system. They have streetcars, light trails, and buses. Even if they don't intersect a lot, it's good that a town is so oriented towards biking and walking has multiple ways to get around town besides driving. There were lots of homeless people as well. I would barely pass two blocks without seeing one. The atmosphere is very casual, which isn't surprising. Wearing a golf shirt and straight leg levis, I felt like I was wearing a business suit. I noticed lots of workout clothes, tank tops, t shirts, and high boots. And it's easily the most tatted city I've ever seen. I don't mind a little ink, nor do I look down on it. But when an arm looks like a coloring book, I mean, what's that going to look like in 20, 30, or 40 years? If I could get a temp that would go away in a year or so, I'd think about it. Ok, off my high horse now. As a proponent of facial hair, they're awesome in Oregon. Excellent beards. Unique styles, crazy length.
 
Another fans aspect of Portland is food trucks. There are about 500 in the city and I like that since it let's people try unique visitors in an approachable manner. I saw trucks for Moroccan food, Egyptian food, Lebanese food, and plenty of Asian trucks too. I started with a Vietnamese fried chicken sandwich. It had cucumber, pickled vegetables, and Sriracha mayo. Really good. The chicken was spicy, but the freshness of the veggies countered it well. Definitely, I would get this again. Then, it was Korean tacos with beef, chicken, and veggies and done kind of creamy sauce. Pretty solid at two bucks a taco or three for five. Then, to go American, it was a grilled cheese with tomato, bacon, Swiss, cheddar, Colby, and mozzarella cheese. To me, a grilled cheese is so much better with tomato and bacon. Nice spicy salt 'n pepper chips and pickle spear too.
 
We walked a few blocks east to Pioneer Court square, a great place to people watch. There was a small turf soccer field set up in the middle of the square. The MLS All Star game is in Portland on August 6. I was pretty amazed how many people walked around wearing Portland Timbers jerseys. Then again, when there's no football, no pro hockey, and the new Class A baseball team plays in a suburb, I guess there aren't many options. Actually, with the Mets heading towards another abysmal season, maybe I'll adopt the Timbers as my soccer team.
 
We did some shopping in the Pioneer mall, where I found a bottle of bacon maple ale from voodoo donuts. Apparently, we're so lazy now that we can't even eat the donuts, we need to drink them now. I did see the Portlandia, which is a huge copper statue at the federal court building. It's the second biggest copper statue in America behind the Statue of Liberty.
 
After chilling at the hotel for a few, we went to Huber's for dinner. This place has been around since the 1870s. They're known for turkey and searching it year round. Mom had a halibut with hazelnuts and capers in a beurre blanc sauce. I had a taste and was really impressed how well the fish was cooked. I had the chili garlic prawns, which were good, but really spicy. For dessert, I had bread custard pudding. Really enjoyable, but it was a pretty big portion. Excellent service too, the server was incredibly friendly as she explained the menu and helped us with directions around town.
 
I worked out pretty hard in the morning. A vigorous half hour on elliptical and a half hour with the free weights, followed by half a peanut butter quest bar had me feeling good. The big plan of the day was an eight-hour boat ride to Cascade Falls, which is east on Portland down the Columbia River. For 88 bucks a pop, we didn't exactly have the best accommodations. The boat was like a speed boat, where passengers were all facing one another. I didn't want a yacht, but I thought there would at least be room for us to all stand or sit outside. No such luck.
 
The trip started on the Willamette River, which runs through Portland. The city is also known door it's many bridges and we went under many of them, like the Morrison, Steel, and Broadway. There were a lot of navy ships and barges too. One of the highlights was passing by Multnomah Falls, which is a series of picturesque waterfalls. We also saw floating houses. They looked like standard manufactured homes with siding, but we're right on the water. I don't think I'd want to live in the basement of one of those. The cascade locks were interesting. Basically, it was a section of water near a dam that raises and lowers water through pipes, showing the boats to keep traveling. This one raised and lowered the boat by 60 feet each time. It took about 20 minutes each time and it is kind of cool to go up and down in a boat like that. We took an hour for lunch where I had a salad and fish and chips. Great beer batter on the fish; I'd have been happy to have it on chicken too. The disappointing part was we missed setting foot in Washington. So I saw the coastline of the state for like five hours, but technically, I guess I still haven't been to Washington.
 
We got back around 3:45 and though I liked the trip, I was ready to walk a little. We took a 20 minute walk across Morrison bridge into the northeast section of Portland. In a very industrial area, was a place I'd seen on the Travel Channel: Big Ass sandwiches. It's a food truck, which Mom didn't exactly expect. I didn't think that was a big deal but I guess she wanted a place to sit and have apps and that lousy wine. Problem is the truck is closed Sunday and Monday, so this was my only chance to go. I ordered the Richwich, which was ranked one of the top 10 sandwiches in America. We split it. It's homemade roast beef, bacon, grilled onions, cheddar cheese sauce, and French fries on ciabatta bread. It's a total mess, but so good. The fries are fresh, the cheddar sauce is rich, the meat is moist, and the bread is soft and full of flavor. It's a freaking mess for sure, but well worth the mess. I might not take a first date there though!
 
We took the streetcar to the NW district. Mom was pretty beat and getting a little shirt, so I went my own way. I felt like relaxing, so I thought I'd stop at Deschutes brewery and have a cold one. At 6 pm, I could not get a seat, not even in the bar. I admit my patience was running out; I needed to sit and have some water. I waited a half hour and walked out.
 
I headed two blocks south to Powell's bookstore. This place is huge, it takes up a whole city block and has four levels. I found a book about the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team and sat with it for about an hour. I did listen to the end of the Mets beating the Giants, the only one of the four games they actually won. Finally, I went back to Deschutes brewery and got the one seat left in the bar. I started with a soft, warm, round pretzel with a white cheddar cheese sauce with a ring of porter-infused stone ground mustard. Just a killer pretzel and those can be hit or miss. Then I had a salad with grilled chicken, spicy cashews, roasted corn, shaved pecorino cheese, and a few other good ingredients. Of course, the guy didn't realize I was ordering it, so 15 mins later, I ordered it a second time. I drank a beer flight with six sample. It had mostly ales, and even an IPA. My favorite was probably the mirror pond pale ale. Oh and the guy sitting next to me was a Mets fan from New Jersey and staying in the same hotel as me. What were the odds? I stumbled back to my room around 10 at night.