I'll try this again

My last post refused to save. So I'll try this again. Let me say this right now. It is amazing how many women I've encountered in the last few years who are outright liars. Whether it's their actions, their intentions, their feelings, or as I just found out tonight, their very identity. The more I deal with this drama and aggravation, the more I understand why fewer and fewer people are getting married nowadays. Yet in spite of the pain, I still want to believe in love. I wonder sometimes if I'm fooling myself.

I have been working at Andy Frain staffing for about a month now. Mostly I have been checking bags, scanning tickets, working security, operating elevators, and cleaning the Sears Center. And in that time, I have covered a festival for Indian people, an  MMA event, and a figure skating competition. I have learned a few things during those events. For one thing, if a company pays you crap, they will treat you like crap too. Terrible communication, terrible organizing, and tough working conditions. And I can't bear to stand for more than a couple of hours or my legs just lock up. Yet there is something about it I like. While I can see myself enjoying working at events, this particular t role is not easy work, nor does it reward well. I think on November 4, it is a safe bet that I will be voting to raise the minimum wage in Illinois.

If I am not having fun at a party, I am just not going to stay.

So tonight is Halloween and we had our first snowfall of the season. It may have just been flurries, but is another reminder that the cold weather is not just upon us; it is actually here. And my friend who I walked with today along with my dog, wanted to go for about an hour outside. The wind was whipping, the chill is in the air, and my face was down to block the wind. She must have been crazy. But good old Maggie seemed to enjoy the walk though. I let her off the leash and she sprinted after what must have been fifty geese, who immediately flew up into the grey sky.

I worked a conference at church on Thursday which was an awesome experience. Author Donald Miller was there to put on his storyline conference. A lot of big speakers were there, including figure skater Scott Hamilton. I worked the merchandise table, which was a lot of fun, as I got to scan credit cards on an iPad.  I thought it was kind of cool. Plus at the pastry table, which was right next to ours, they had trays of cinnamon rolls for everybody. How could I possibly pass those up? Okay, I tried to be conservative and I had two.

But the best part of the day was early in the morning around 8 when I was working the merchandise table and I heard somebody call my name. I turned to my right and there stood my old friend Ingrid from college. She looked beautiful as ever and I went right up to her and gave her one of the biggest hugs I've ever given anybody. I had not seen her in 10 years and it was such a total wonderful shock. I wish I could have spent some time with her,  but what can I say, time just doesn't always allow us to do the things we want to do the most. But even if I had not heard any of the lectures, seeing her made my experience with it.

The best chicken wings I have ever had are still at Crosstown pub in Naperville, Illinois. The dry rubbed breaded chili lime wings can't be beat. But the combination of their lemon pepper rub and garlic Parmesan sauce is absolutely wonderful too. My group got this 18 inch pretzel which had 3 different spice rubs on it, plus 3 dipping sauces, including a chorizo and cilantro cheddar cheese dip. I could not believe how good this was.

To think that the last time I had a haircut was when I got Maggie, which was mid June. So I went over 4 months without getting one until I did it today. Safe to say it was long overdue and I feel like I have now lost about 20 pounds.

God, please know that I want to work a meaningful job and I feel like I have something to contribute to this hurting, messed up world. Please don't forget me. Amen.

It's here

I had a whole post written with some deep and insightful crap, and it didn't save. It's gone. Screw the blogger app. That's all.

Mets targets

So the Mets season has ended. 79 wins vs 83 losses. There are bright signs in Flushing, but this team is still short on offense. Now nobody realistically expects this team's payroll to skyrocket. It's at $80 million, which was 23rd in baseball this offseason. That's just not going to cut it. 

The starting pitching looks loaded between a returning Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler, Jon Niese, Dillon Gee, and Bartolo Colon. Top prospect Noah Syndergaard is expected to join the rotation sometime this season. And the bullpen looks as solid as out had sine 2006, with Jenrry Mejia, Jeurys Familia, Carlos Torres, Josh Edgin, and Bobby Parnell, if he can come back from Tommy John surgery.

The lineup...still too many questions. David Wright needs to regain his form, as does Curtis Granderson. Without those two playing well, this team is not going anywhere. Travis d'Arnaud, Juan Lagares, and Lucas Duda are all starters. I believe Daniel Murphy will open the season at second base, but could easily be traded during the season. Excellent hitter, but pretty average at everything else and his contract ends next year. Shortstop would be a nice addition, but I think they'll give Wilmer Flores a shot at winning the job. But they need a veteran SS in as well.

This team needs a bat. I'd prefer one in the outfield, but would take one at shortstop. Here are ten guys I would target, whether in free agency or a trade. I had JJ Hardy listed until he signed an extension with Baltimore. 

1. Yoenis Cespedes OF 
2. Starlin Castro SS 
3. Michael Cuddyer OF 
4. Nick Markakis OF 
5. Michael Morse OF  
6. Asdrubal Cabrera 2B/SS
7. Hanley Ramirez SS
8. Ben Zobrist SS/OF
9. Yasmany Tomas OF
10. Nelson Cruz OF

Captain Mike's

I tried a burger bar in Kenosha, WI called Captain Mike's today. It was one of the most conflicting restaurant experiences I've had in a long time.

This is the classic "I wish I could give it 3.5 stars" review. So I'll take it from the beginning. I love the atmosphere. The walls, the beer taps, the fish tank, the vending machines, etc. This place has its own style and makes no apologies for it. I have all the respect in the world for that.

The female bartender was very nice and offered to give me a sample of some of their 30 draft beers. I requested two and she brought them pretty quickly. I ordered one of them a little bit later, but she apparently forgot. So I had to drink water with my burger and fries. I'm sorry, but how do you forget a beer order if you're a bartender and the bar doesn't hold more than 15 people?

Another complaint, the menu. It's changed quite a bit from the online version. Now there are more options, the 10 ounce burger is now an 8 ounce burger, and prices are actually higher. This needs to be updated.

We actually started with soups. I had the beer cheese soup. Very cool that they served pretzel rolls with it. And they don't skimp on the portions, it's a lot of soup! Great quality bacon, very cheesy, and very satisfying. The lobster bisque was tomato based and came with a shot of sherry, a pretty cool idea. I was told it was okay, though she prefers a creamy base. However, we waited 10 minutes to get our soup. I'd had maybe three tastes of my beer cheese soup and...out come the burgers! Hello kitchen, let's work on our timing!

Anyway, I had the cheeseburger walrus with cheddar and Swiss, mushrooms, onions, and horseradish mayo. Half a pound of grass fed beef, char-grilled. There are so few places that char-grill burgers now (what is the obsession with the flat top?) and I give this place major props. The roll was soft, the burger was juicy, and the toppings were great. Really good burger. Of course, they forgot that I requested bacon on it as well...they are forgetting both bacon and a beer???

And the fresh cut fries...sweet Lord, thank you. Thick cut, a little peppery seasoning, crunchy exterior. Excellent fries.

Here's the deal, folks. This place has some great positives, but I had to deal with quite a few negatives that I wasn't happy about. I would come back though since the burger is just that good. I live two hours away, but I'll give them another shot one of these days.

Food spots

So I've written a few more reviews for Yelp lately and I decided to share a few of my findings on my blog as well. My Yelp restaurant reviews can all be found through here.

1) About six weeks ago, I tried Peanut Butter Planet in downtown Glen Ellyn. I'm a big fan of nut butters and I figured this might be a quick snack that I might enjoy. Well, I had a sandwich with honey-cinnamon roasted peanut butter, apple butter, and bananas on New England bread. I could have used some bacon for a little crunch. But then again, what sandwich isn't better with bacon? And I just found out the place closed this week! No great loss.

2) I always hesitate to try new restaurants in the first week or two that they're open because service is usually shaky, the cooks are still figuring things out, and the overall timing just isn't down yet. But following the Jets' latest horrific loss, I went over to the 9th edition of the Tap House Grill. I liked getting a $3.50 Sam Adams Octoberfest pint; just an excellent value. I started with the chicken fingers. The six fingers came out exactly how they should. The meat was juicy and the crispy that didn't overwhelm the chicken. The sauces, the honey mustard and the Sam Adams BBQ sauce, complemented the chicken very well. The BBQ sauce had a little smokiness that I really enjoyed. 

We also got a side of Brussels sprouts. The portion was quite large, but they could have used a little more seasoning. I also got the prime rib pretzel dip sandwich. I was hoping it would be a little larger for $12.50. The prime rib was moist and the au jus was really flavorful and a good beef flavor. The horseradish sauce added just the right amount of kick. So I enjoyed the food, but I would encourage the cooks to use a little more S & P!

We got to sit in a booth, which was comfortable and we had a huge flatscreen TV right in front of us, which definitely helps establish the sports atmosphere. Service was attentive and they kept our water glasses full. Tap House is a good place to hang with friends, throw back a cold one, and enjoy some good food.