20 random observations from last weekend in NYC
1) I learned from someone it's not a great idea to drink a Starbucks Frappucino and a bottle of water within a five minute timeframe.
2) Dad got hooked on Sequence before we even started a game. I guess he's pretty quick to make up his mind about something and then slow to change it.
3) Only my dad would have dinner at LouCa's and then rush home to catch a Jeff Dunham special on Comedy Central that he had already seen before. On a steek...
4) There is not much to speak of at Ground Zero right now. Where we walked, there was no sidewalk, no memorial, nothing. Just a two-block long huge hole with a few construction cranes. And now the future building will not be called the Freedom Tower. I am okay with that as long as it doesn't get some lame corporate name. When people hear the name of the building, they should be reminded of 9/11 or what was there before.
5) The Natural History Museum was incredible. The dinosaur skeletons were excellent. But the Brontosaurus is no longer called that. They took his name away like they took planet status away from Pluto. No good!
6) We rode a lot of subways. Everyone on there is very tight-lipped, very closed off. Very understandable. But then we walk into Central Park. It felt like another place. Everyone was smiling, seemed like when they walked through the green, their problems disappeared, if only for a short while. Lots of dogs...And I got to climb rocks just like when I was in New England. That's one of the few things that still relaxes me. And I credit Chicago for setting space aside for parks and quieter areas.
7) Dad was so sad that the Nathan's in Penn Station is being reconstructed. The downtrodden look on his face... I swear it was like he lost his best friend.
8) John's sausage rolls...Hellooooooooooooo! And the thin crust pizza with the ground beef and onion...Dang. And the Brooklyn Pilsner beer. Man oh man. Somehow, I got very energetic in that restaurant. Despite what the Chicago bigshots like Mark Malnati may say, that thin crust style they cook in a coal-fired brick oven at John's is the best pizza around. And by the way Mark, the first syllable of "sausage" is pronounced like "Fall" not a short "a" like in "ask." There is a "u" in the word, so use it!
9) Another food opinion. Junior's cheesecake is simply the best in the world. I don't want to hear about Eli's and I damn sure don't want to hear about the Cheesecake Factory. This is a much lighter, airier cake, with a sponge cake bottom instead of graham cracker. And I had a slice with crushed pineapple and sugar crumbs on top. Off the charts. Dad had a devil's food cheesecake with a layer of cheesecake on top of a layer of chocolate cake and then surrounded by more chocolate and hazelnuts. Tara had the opportunity to devour a chocolate swirl cheesecake. And only one of us finished our slice...Maybe it was because I was the only one who did not drink any coffee.
10) As we walked from Penn Station across the street to MSG, I walked by the spot where Mom was hit by a taxi a few years ago. I still can't get that out of my mind.
11) There is no sports arena like Madison Square Garden. The buzz in that building is second to none. If I could only see all the banners in the rafters...I hope the renovation will take care of that problem.
12) The Rangers fans in the blue heaven are so rabid. As rabid and devoted as any fans I have ever seen. And Dad and I fit right in!
13) I still cannot find a concession booth in the Garden that serves cotton candy in the 300 level or in the 400 level. And there isn't exactly much room in the concourses to get around the building.
14) It is never a good idea to elbow a girl in the nose and nearly knock her down a flight of stairs. And when you know the girl rather well, eh, it's a worse idea.
15) I did not get to Ring of Honor's 7th Anniversary Show, which was going on just one block up from the Garden at the Manattan Center. I wished I could have at least seen Nigel McGuinness vs. KENTA for the world title live. But I wanted all three of us to go or none of us to go. Ah well, I will have to wait for the DVD to come out next month.
16) I really hate flying standby. Bumped off three flights total.
17) If that wasn't enough, our return flight to Chi-town was cancelled and we did not find out about it until after we arrived at the airport. So I called Dad back and he drove 30 minutes back to Newark Airport, picked us up, and drove another hour to take us to LaGuardia airport in Queens, where they have hourly flights on American to Chicago. And that turned out to be okay. Because just before we pulled off the highway to the airport, we passed by CitiField. Looks pretty darn impressive from the outside. If they could only add another 5,000 seats...
18) NYC simply has a spark, a heartbeat to it that I have never seen anywhere else. I'm not saying it is the best city, many would argue otherwise. But in Manhattan, it fells like something is happening on every corner. Other places have a more laid back feel in certain parts. And that can be a very good thing. But there is that little, indescribable, intangible extra something you feel when walking through Manhattan.
19) I am a fortunate guy to have the things I have and to have lived what I have been able to live.
20) Anybody up for some more games of Uno in LaGuardia airport, if someone knows what I mean...
PS. Tara and I had lunch at Chipotle after we got back in town. This is really bothering me. Instead of $1.35, it costs $1.80 to add guacamole to a burrito. I am seriously pissed over this. Now I know it's only a raise of a quarter and two dimes, but are we going to get to the point where avocados cost more than the meat? This is just not cool. As an American, I should have the right to enjoy avocados without worrying the price will soar like premium gasoline. President Obama, keep our guacamole affordable!!!!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Vegas Part 2
Tuesday started feeling like I was back at work. 6 am and I'm out of bed. We walked west to Circus, Circus, which I guarantee will be torn down inside of three years. By Vegas standards, it is too old and not nice enough. And on the walk down Riviera Blvd, the entire north side of the street was a construction zone.
The whole deal was it was a tour guide/comedy deal to Hoover Dam. So the bus picks us up and the driver was Ruben and the guide/comedian was George. I must say they were great. They were smart and entertaining. There were 26 of us, including eight from South Dakota. I don't think I've met eight people from South Dakota since I've been alive There were six from Orlando and the two couples sitting right in front and behind us were both from Canada. In 1.5 hours, we arrived at the Dam. We started on the Arizona side of the dam, and worked our way back to the Nevada side. The dam tour (all the guides do those jokes, sadly) took one hour in all. We walked right by the eight generators and they gave us the scientific breakdown of how they control the Colorado River and how the overflow works. I googled it and I still don't know if I understand. Suffice to say, they planned the design well.
After the tour, we took the bus to an overlook of Lake Mead, a man-made lake right behind the dam and located in the middle of the Mojave Desert. The views of mountains, water, and sky was outstanding. From there, we drove to Boulder City, which was the town constructed when workers started constructing the Dam. It's also the home to Desi Arnaz Jr. and we passed by his house. We went over to the town museum to get some more history about the construction of the dam and the town as well as some of the people who were instrumental in developing it. While at lunch, we chatted with the Edmonton couple. Nice folks, and they even recommended the Vegas mob tour to us. They mentioned it was quite enjoyable. So we thought we'd take them up on their offer...
On our way back, we made our final stop at Ethyl M's Chocolate Factory. When I realized they make a lot of M&M's and that kind of thing, I wasn't too excited. But we did our walkthrough and when we walked into the gift shop, the workers started offering us samples. I had a small chip of white chocolate and it was ok. I knew it was fine quality, but just not my thing. Then I saw a woman hawking pieces of pecan brittle. This stuff was so rich and so good and full of flavor. But I went over to the ice cream stand and got a scoop of bananas foster. It had chunks of banana, graham cracker, maybe a touch of rum. People on the tour were preoccupied with their chocolate. Then they saw me with the ice cream, and they would look at me with this stunned expression. "Where did you get that," they would ask. Within five minutes, at least ten people got ice cream too. I took it outside to the cactus garden right behind the factory. There are over 30,000 species of cacti and last I checked, none grow in Illinois. It was a very good walk.
After getting back to the hotel around 4, Mom crashed, I guess. Anthony came over and we went to Stratosphere, which is an observatory tower, hotel, and casino on the north side of the strip. You actually have to go through a security check to get to the observatory tower. Had to empty my pockets and everything. Between my jeans, orange and black Knicks leather jacket, and dark glasses, I must have looked like a mob guy in training. The view with the lights was neat. But then, you go up another flight of stairs. They have three rides for people who are either crazy, thrillseekers, or suicidal. Insanity freaked me out the most. This thing looks like a roller coaster car that is about to ride over the tower's edge and drop 1000 feet to the Vegas concrete.
Finally, I tried it. In-N-Out Burger, that is. Double cheeseburger, fresh fries, and lemonade for 6 bucks. Incredible value, maybe not incredible nutrition, but it was great stuff. Can they get past the southwest though? Is that asking too much? Anthony and I headed back to his place. Nice spot on the east side, but those damn cats just drove me crazy. Thirty minutes, and my eyes were watery and my nose was running. But I hung around long enough to watch the Kings lose to the Wild in a shootout. But that wore me out for the night.
The whole deal was it was a tour guide/comedy deal to Hoover Dam. So the bus picks us up and the driver was Ruben and the guide/comedian was George. I must say they were great. They were smart and entertaining. There were 26 of us, including eight from South Dakota. I don't think I've met eight people from South Dakota since I've been alive There were six from Orlando and the two couples sitting right in front and behind us were both from Canada. In 1.5 hours, we arrived at the Dam. We started on the Arizona side of the dam, and worked our way back to the Nevada side. The dam tour (all the guides do those jokes, sadly) took one hour in all. We walked right by the eight generators and they gave us the scientific breakdown of how they control the Colorado River and how the overflow works. I googled it and I still don't know if I understand. Suffice to say, they planned the design well.
After the tour, we took the bus to an overlook of Lake Mead, a man-made lake right behind the dam and located in the middle of the Mojave Desert. The views of mountains, water, and sky was outstanding. From there, we drove to Boulder City, which was the town constructed when workers started constructing the Dam. It's also the home to Desi Arnaz Jr. and we passed by his house. We went over to the town museum to get some more history about the construction of the dam and the town as well as some of the people who were instrumental in developing it. While at lunch, we chatted with the Edmonton couple. Nice folks, and they even recommended the Vegas mob tour to us. They mentioned it was quite enjoyable. So we thought we'd take them up on their offer...
On our way back, we made our final stop at Ethyl M's Chocolate Factory. When I realized they make a lot of M&M's and that kind of thing, I wasn't too excited. But we did our walkthrough and when we walked into the gift shop, the workers started offering us samples. I had a small chip of white chocolate and it was ok. I knew it was fine quality, but just not my thing. Then I saw a woman hawking pieces of pecan brittle. This stuff was so rich and so good and full of flavor. But I went over to the ice cream stand and got a scoop of bananas foster. It had chunks of banana, graham cracker, maybe a touch of rum. People on the tour were preoccupied with their chocolate. Then they saw me with the ice cream, and they would look at me with this stunned expression. "Where did you get that," they would ask. Within five minutes, at least ten people got ice cream too. I took it outside to the cactus garden right behind the factory. There are over 30,000 species of cacti and last I checked, none grow in Illinois. It was a very good walk.
After getting back to the hotel around 4, Mom crashed, I guess. Anthony came over and we went to Stratosphere, which is an observatory tower, hotel, and casino on the north side of the strip. You actually have to go through a security check to get to the observatory tower. Had to empty my pockets and everything. Between my jeans, orange and black Knicks leather jacket, and dark glasses, I must have looked like a mob guy in training. The view with the lights was neat. But then, you go up another flight of stairs. They have three rides for people who are either crazy, thrillseekers, or suicidal. Insanity freaked me out the most. This thing looks like a roller coaster car that is about to ride over the tower's edge and drop 1000 feet to the Vegas concrete.
Finally, I tried it. In-N-Out Burger, that is. Double cheeseburger, fresh fries, and lemonade for 6 bucks. Incredible value, maybe not incredible nutrition, but it was great stuff. Can they get past the southwest though? Is that asking too much? Anthony and I headed back to his place. Nice spot on the east side, but those damn cats just drove me crazy. Thirty minutes, and my eyes were watery and my nose was running. But I hung around long enough to watch the Kings lose to the Wild in a shootout. But that wore me out for the night.
Detour
Five quick hits:
1) I like the Rangers picking up Avery, Antropov, and Morris. But I still have not seen this team play 60 minutes of hockey all season long. I believe John Tortorella can inspire this team to do that. But the vacation period is over. After leading the Eastern Conference through the first third of the season, if the post-season started today, the Rangers would miss the playoffs. Time to man up.
2) I still get a kick out of seeing myself on DVD's, but I get a bigger kick out of seeing my friends on DVD's when they are acting like complete utter lunatics.
3) Can MSG and the NHL resolve this stupid dispute so we can watch the Rangers, Sabres, Devils, and Islanders in Hi-Def on the Center Ice Package? Spoiled, maybe. But if we pay for it, we should get our money's worth.
4) Cara cara oranges make you stop and think. I got these at the store and took one to work today. It's about the size of a navel orange. I peel the skin, open it up, and the inside is pink as a grapefruit. It is really sweet, not too acidic, and best of all, no seeds. I guess these are from South America and only available in the US from December through March. Good stuff. Much better than the grapple (grape/apple combo). What a joke that is.
5) I have only one song to pick on a night like this: "Crazy Arms" by Ray Price.
1) I like the Rangers picking up Avery, Antropov, and Morris. But I still have not seen this team play 60 minutes of hockey all season long. I believe John Tortorella can inspire this team to do that. But the vacation period is over. After leading the Eastern Conference through the first third of the season, if the post-season started today, the Rangers would miss the playoffs. Time to man up.
2) I still get a kick out of seeing myself on DVD's, but I get a bigger kick out of seeing my friends on DVD's when they are acting like complete utter lunatics.
3) Can MSG and the NHL resolve this stupid dispute so we can watch the Rangers, Sabres, Devils, and Islanders in Hi-Def on the Center Ice Package? Spoiled, maybe. But if we pay for it, we should get our money's worth.
4) Cara cara oranges make you stop and think. I got these at the store and took one to work today. It's about the size of a navel orange. I peel the skin, open it up, and the inside is pink as a grapefruit. It is really sweet, not too acidic, and best of all, no seeds. I guess these are from South America and only available in the US from December through March. Good stuff. Much better than the grapple (grape/apple combo). What a joke that is.
5) I have only one song to pick on a night like this: "Crazy Arms" by Ray Price.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Vegas Part 1
I woke up at 3 am for a 6:10 am flight. When you factor in the time change, that's 1 AM Pacific time. The only thing I learned from the flight? Sierra Mist is not as good as Sprite. We landed around 10 am and walked into a 65 degree day after a week of 30's in Chi-town. and Anthony picked us up. We drove to the Hilton Vacation Club, which is on the north side of the strip and a block east. So we get in the elevator. Now we're on the 11th floor. And I look at the floor buttons on the elevator panel. There is no 13, it goes from 12 straight to 14. I guess it was because they thought 13 was unlucky. Here's the catch. The buttons go B, 1, 2... So in reality, the "14th" floor is still the "13th," isn't it? We had two rooms next to each other, which was great since everyone could now have their own space.
So we drop off the luggage and drive out of town to the east side of Vegas. We met both of Anthony's single uncles who moved there from Maine. I must say between Anthony, Jim, and Bruce, I was engaged in more political discussion in two hours than I have been in two months. Sure, the Illinois governors are frauds, but Nevada's governor was a lawyer for the mob! So from Bruce's house, we drove over to Memphis Ribs for some stellar BBQ. That magic dust was one fine spice. Eventually, he dropped us off on the middle of the strip around 4 pm. The first thing I noticed was how many construction sites there were all along Las Vegas Blvd. It was a hotel, a construction site, a hotel, a construction site and so on for miles. The lights had not come up full yet, but it was easy to feel the energy and spirit.
We went into NY, NY first. The outside was incredible. The Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Cyclone, and the Chrysler Building are all out in front. The job they did on this (as well as Paris with the Eiffel Tower) is incredible. Inside, you have your casinos, clubs, and restaurants like with every major Vegas hotel. But the feel is like Grand Central Terminal in midtown Manhattan and the food court is designed just like Greenwich Village. We ate at Il Fornaio for some Italian. We sat outside the restaurant and we had a great view of the casino. The liquor is where the get you. Though the food prices may be reasonable ($15 for a pasta bowl), it is tough to get wine for under $10 a glass. Fortunately, I stuck with some Ginger-Peach iced tea.
By the time our meal was over, we had been awake for 19 hours so we decided to take the monorail home. Now it runs north and south on the west side of the strip. We were on the east so we had to walk across. Only 15 minutes later, we got there. And of course, you had all the foreigners flooding the streets standing in lines handing out flyers, snapping the flyers on their wrists to draw attention, and trying to hook you up with "callers," shall we say. I really wish they could find something better to do with their time than sell that kind of crap. It is a shame they can do that legally. Anyway, back to the point. This monorail is a nice concept, but a joke in planning and execution. Now in my hotel guidebook, I read each ride was 3 bucks and you could get a 10-ride for $25.00. Seemed fair at the time. Turns out you have to walk two blocks west and through casinos to get there and every ride is $5.00 no matter how far you are going. So for Mom, Dad, and I to go one way, it costs about the same amount as a cab. I just don't see the point in the extra walking. After the second day. we were all but done with the monorail with one exception... I fell asleep around 11 pm. A long day, to say the least.
On Monday, I hit the hotel gym for an early morning workout. Pretty good facilities. They have a universal gym, but unlike most universals I've used, this one was actually usable. So on Sunday night, we had noticed these 1/2 off ticket booths along the strip. Turns out you can get discounted tickets for certain shows on the day of the events. We talk a 15 minute walk, walking through the Riviera along the way, and arrived at the booth. We were hoping to see Wayne Brady, since we're both fans of Whose Line. Unfortunately, his performance was cancelled, evidently because he got sick. So scrambling fast, we brought a pair of $65 Craig Ferguson tickets for $33 each. And we noticed they offered a few dinner discounts and we took 40% off at Pampas, a Brazilian steakhouse in the Planet Hollywood hotel. To top it off, we took a pair of Hoover Dam tour passes for Tuesday.
From the booth, we walked to the Fashion Show Mall. Unfortunately, we had already walked about three miles by this time and Mom's feet were already causing her tremendous discomfort. Before the mall though, we stopped into the Wynn and Encore hotels, designed by Steve Wynn. Put it this way, the guy is getting through the tough economic times just fine. If you like flowers and butterflies, this is your kind of hotel. Absolutely gorgeous, but if I'm fair about it, very bougie. (This is the first time I've ever used that word in print!) Anyway, we went to the mall and had lunch at Cafe Ba Ba Reeba for some Spanish Tapas. The service was slow as can be (and it wasn't too busy), but the sangria wine was marvelous. Filled with fruit and ice, and a sweet tangy taste. We split a chopped salad, garlic shrimp, and some stuffed mushrooms. Great food. Then came a bunch of shopping, which proved fruitless for me. I'd have liked to find a Tommy Bahama shirt for under 50 bucks, but granted, this wasn't exactly an oulet chain.
Then, we took a cab to the MGM to get the Ferguson tickets and we got the third row, about 10 yards from the stage. Not too bad. I think the MGM is fancy, but really a fine place. While we walked through the casino, we checked out the lions which they keep in a large glass enclosure. I felt a little bad for them, because they were so tame. I had to wonder if they get drugged. And I would not want to be the guy who takes them in and out of the observatory every day. That's not a job I'll be applying for anytime soon. From there, we walked a few minutes north back to Planet Hollywood for dinner. On the way, mom got a foot massage and I stopped over at the sports area and watched the Knicks win a great game against Indiana. So then, came Round 1 at the casino. I have to say, I cannot make heads or tails of the slot machines. Mom's talking about how many lines to play and all this. I'm staring at the machine like I stared at the blackboard in trigonometry class. Anyway, I lost ten bucks and jetted straight to the blackjack machine at the bar. That is the way to do it, especially since they will give you free drinks if you are playing. After ten minutes, I was up two bucks and figured I'd stop there.
Pampas is one of those "all you can eat" restaurants where the gauchos bring out the huge skewers of grilled meat. It was really good, but not what Sal and Carvao was. I would say the rump roast and roast beef were marvelous and the pork tenderloin was quite good as well. I liked the ham and pineapple skewer, something I had never seen anywhere else. I'm no ham fan, but that was a good concept. The salad bar was just not great though. So then we saw Ferguson. I would say about 600 people were there and the show was very good. His bits on Sean Connery and childbirth were outstanding. After 90 minutes, we headed to the monorail, which was thankfully only about 6 minutes away from the theater. Went to bed at 11:30, I had to set my alarm to wake up at 6 a.m.
So we drop off the luggage and drive out of town to the east side of Vegas. We met both of Anthony's single uncles who moved there from Maine. I must say between Anthony, Jim, and Bruce, I was engaged in more political discussion in two hours than I have been in two months. Sure, the Illinois governors are frauds, but Nevada's governor was a lawyer for the mob! So from Bruce's house, we drove over to Memphis Ribs for some stellar BBQ. That magic dust was one fine spice. Eventually, he dropped us off on the middle of the strip around 4 pm. The first thing I noticed was how many construction sites there were all along Las Vegas Blvd. It was a hotel, a construction site, a hotel, a construction site and so on for miles. The lights had not come up full yet, but it was easy to feel the energy and spirit.
We went into NY, NY first. The outside was incredible. The Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Cyclone, and the Chrysler Building are all out in front. The job they did on this (as well as Paris with the Eiffel Tower) is incredible. Inside, you have your casinos, clubs, and restaurants like with every major Vegas hotel. But the feel is like Grand Central Terminal in midtown Manhattan and the food court is designed just like Greenwich Village. We ate at Il Fornaio for some Italian. We sat outside the restaurant and we had a great view of the casino. The liquor is where the get you. Though the food prices may be reasonable ($15 for a pasta bowl), it is tough to get wine for under $10 a glass. Fortunately, I stuck with some Ginger-Peach iced tea.
By the time our meal was over, we had been awake for 19 hours so we decided to take the monorail home. Now it runs north and south on the west side of the strip. We were on the east so we had to walk across. Only 15 minutes later, we got there. And of course, you had all the foreigners flooding the streets standing in lines handing out flyers, snapping the flyers on their wrists to draw attention, and trying to hook you up with "callers," shall we say. I really wish they could find something better to do with their time than sell that kind of crap. It is a shame they can do that legally. Anyway, back to the point. This monorail is a nice concept, but a joke in planning and execution. Now in my hotel guidebook, I read each ride was 3 bucks and you could get a 10-ride for $25.00. Seemed fair at the time. Turns out you have to walk two blocks west and through casinos to get there and every ride is $5.00 no matter how far you are going. So for Mom, Dad, and I to go one way, it costs about the same amount as a cab. I just don't see the point in the extra walking. After the second day. we were all but done with the monorail with one exception... I fell asleep around 11 pm. A long day, to say the least.
On Monday, I hit the hotel gym for an early morning workout. Pretty good facilities. They have a universal gym, but unlike most universals I've used, this one was actually usable. So on Sunday night, we had noticed these 1/2 off ticket booths along the strip. Turns out you can get discounted tickets for certain shows on the day of the events. We talk a 15 minute walk, walking through the Riviera along the way, and arrived at the booth. We were hoping to see Wayne Brady, since we're both fans of Whose Line. Unfortunately, his performance was cancelled, evidently because he got sick. So scrambling fast, we brought a pair of $65 Craig Ferguson tickets for $33 each. And we noticed they offered a few dinner discounts and we took 40% off at Pampas, a Brazilian steakhouse in the Planet Hollywood hotel. To top it off, we took a pair of Hoover Dam tour passes for Tuesday.
From the booth, we walked to the Fashion Show Mall. Unfortunately, we had already walked about three miles by this time and Mom's feet were already causing her tremendous discomfort. Before the mall though, we stopped into the Wynn and Encore hotels, designed by Steve Wynn. Put it this way, the guy is getting through the tough economic times just fine. If you like flowers and butterflies, this is your kind of hotel. Absolutely gorgeous, but if I'm fair about it, very bougie. (This is the first time I've ever used that word in print!) Anyway, we went to the mall and had lunch at Cafe Ba Ba Reeba for some Spanish Tapas. The service was slow as can be (and it wasn't too busy), but the sangria wine was marvelous. Filled with fruit and ice, and a sweet tangy taste. We split a chopped salad, garlic shrimp, and some stuffed mushrooms. Great food. Then came a bunch of shopping, which proved fruitless for me. I'd have liked to find a Tommy Bahama shirt for under 50 bucks, but granted, this wasn't exactly an oulet chain.
Then, we took a cab to the MGM to get the Ferguson tickets and we got the third row, about 10 yards from the stage. Not too bad. I think the MGM is fancy, but really a fine place. While we walked through the casino, we checked out the lions which they keep in a large glass enclosure. I felt a little bad for them, because they were so tame. I had to wonder if they get drugged. And I would not want to be the guy who takes them in and out of the observatory every day. That's not a job I'll be applying for anytime soon. From there, we walked a few minutes north back to Planet Hollywood for dinner. On the way, mom got a foot massage and I stopped over at the sports area and watched the Knicks win a great game against Indiana. So then, came Round 1 at the casino. I have to say, I cannot make heads or tails of the slot machines. Mom's talking about how many lines to play and all this. I'm staring at the machine like I stared at the blackboard in trigonometry class. Anyway, I lost ten bucks and jetted straight to the blackjack machine at the bar. That is the way to do it, especially since they will give you free drinks if you are playing. After ten minutes, I was up two bucks and figured I'd stop there.
Pampas is one of those "all you can eat" restaurants where the gauchos bring out the huge skewers of grilled meat. It was really good, but not what Sal and Carvao was. I would say the rump roast and roast beef were marvelous and the pork tenderloin was quite good as well. I liked the ham and pineapple skewer, something I had never seen anywhere else. I'm no ham fan, but that was a good concept. The salad bar was just not great though. So then we saw Ferguson. I would say about 600 people were there and the show was very good. His bits on Sean Connery and childbirth were outstanding. After 90 minutes, we headed to the monorail, which was thankfully only about 6 minutes away from the theater. Went to bed at 11:30, I had to set my alarm to wake up at 6 a.m.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Sat night/Sun morning musings
1) First, where did the word musings come from anyway?
2) Always a great thing to watch John Ortberg preach live, which I was able to do tonight at Willow Creek. And I got to hear the Monopoly/It all goes back in the box analogy again! Brilliant.
3) I am honestly amazed how God sometimes gives me just the right words to say in very certain situations. And other times, well, I should just keep quiet.
4) I laid waste to a 2/3 pound burger at Urban Grille this afternoon. So I need to eat three of those to knock out their 2 pound burger challenge. I definitely think I can do that.
5) The Rangers are 0-4 on NBC this year. Tomorrow is Game #5 against Philadelphia. I will have to DVR that game while I am at Panera with CT. Anything less than two points is unacceptable in a contest as important as this one.
6) Speaking of Panera, I have been requested to share stories of my days working there back in 1997. Well, how many stories can you share from a place you worked at 15 hours a week for 4 weeks? And if my bosses had their way, it would have been 5 hours a week.
7) Sometimes I almost think I wrote the song "Fire and Smoke." Some of the lyrics are so autobiographical.
8) A few years ago, it felt like almost everyone around me was about to get married. Now so many people are pregnant or just had a kid. Even the ones in Arizona... Not to get too far into this, it doesn't matter now, but some of this really is mind-blowing. But I guess some people get different gifts than others.
9) Though it's not usually my thing, I like to see a twisted movie on Friday the 13th. Last night, I chose Lost Highway. A little too twisted for me. I'm not a fan of movies where the story is so shifting that it gets difficult to keep up with the story. I would recommend it only for the fact that it marks the final film appearances of Richard Pryor, Jack Nance, and Robert Blake. But out of 5 stars, this gets maybe 2.
10) I wish Hogan was still here.
Song pick: "Another Place, Another Time" Don Williams
2) Always a great thing to watch John Ortberg preach live, which I was able to do tonight at Willow Creek. And I got to hear the Monopoly/It all goes back in the box analogy again! Brilliant.
3) I am honestly amazed how God sometimes gives me just the right words to say in very certain situations. And other times, well, I should just keep quiet.
4) I laid waste to a 2/3 pound burger at Urban Grille this afternoon. So I need to eat three of those to knock out their 2 pound burger challenge. I definitely think I can do that.
5) The Rangers are 0-4 on NBC this year. Tomorrow is Game #5 against Philadelphia. I will have to DVR that game while I am at Panera with CT. Anything less than two points is unacceptable in a contest as important as this one.
6) Speaking of Panera, I have been requested to share stories of my days working there back in 1997. Well, how many stories can you share from a place you worked at 15 hours a week for 4 weeks? And if my bosses had their way, it would have been 5 hours a week.
7) Sometimes I almost think I wrote the song "Fire and Smoke." Some of the lyrics are so autobiographical.
8) A few years ago, it felt like almost everyone around me was about to get married. Now so many people are pregnant or just had a kid. Even the ones in Arizona... Not to get too far into this, it doesn't matter now, but some of this really is mind-blowing. But I guess some people get different gifts than others.
9) Though it's not usually my thing, I like to see a twisted movie on Friday the 13th. Last night, I chose Lost Highway. A little too twisted for me. I'm not a fan of movies where the story is so shifting that it gets difficult to keep up with the story. I would recommend it only for the fact that it marks the final film appearances of Richard Pryor, Jack Nance, and Robert Blake. But out of 5 stars, this gets maybe 2.
10) I wish Hogan was still here.
Song pick: "Another Place, Another Time" Don Williams
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
"The Grand Tour" Aaron Neville
1. Put your iPod (or any MP3 player) on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS
1) IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY? "Face Down In The Blues" Marshall Tucker Band
2) WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY? "Little Saint Nick" Beach Boys
3) WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL? "Waitin' For The Blues" ZZ Top (Amazingly accurate)
4) HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY? "You Got That Right" Lynyrd Skynyrd
5) WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE? "Hard To Know" Mindy Smith
6) WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO? "So Much Like My Dad" George Strait
7) WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? "Got Me Under Pressure" ZZ Top
8)WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN? "These Dreams" Jim Croce
9) WHAT IS 2+2? "Flesh and Blood" Johnny Cash
10) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND? "I'm Just Talkin' about Tonight" Toby Keith
11) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE? "Peace of Mind" Mindy Smith
12) WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY? "Those Words We Said" Trisha Yearwood
13) WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? "It Came Out Of The Sky" Creedence Clearwater Revival
14) WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE? "Masterblaster" Stevie Wonder
15) WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING? "Say You, Say Me" Lionel Richie (Maybe in 1988)
16) WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL? "He Ain't Worth Missing" Toby Keith (Ouch...)
17) WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST? "Why Would I Say Goodbye" Brooks & Dunn
18) WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET? "Baby's Gotten Good At Goodbye" George Strait
19) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS? "Back Home Again" John Denver
20) WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN? "Outlaw Man" The Eagles
21) HOW WILL YOU DIE? "Turn Out the Lights and Love Me Tonight" Don Williams
22) WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET? "Photographs and Memories" Jim Croce
23) WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH? "Ain't No Right Way" Toby Keith
24) WHAT MAKES YOU CRY? "Learn to Be Still" The Eagles
25) WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED? "Bop" Dan Seals
26) WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST? "Wall of Denial" Stevie Ray Vaughan
27) DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU? "Tragedy" Bee Gees
28) IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE? "Rocky Mountain Music" Eddie Rabbitt
29) WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW? "Ol 55" The Eagles
30) WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS NOTE AS? "The Grand Tour" Aaron Neville
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS
1) IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY? "Face Down In The Blues" Marshall Tucker Band
2) WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY? "Little Saint Nick" Beach Boys
3) WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL? "Waitin' For The Blues" ZZ Top (Amazingly accurate)
4) HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY? "You Got That Right" Lynyrd Skynyrd
5) WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE? "Hard To Know" Mindy Smith
6) WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO? "So Much Like My Dad" George Strait
7) WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? "Got Me Under Pressure" ZZ Top
8)WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN? "These Dreams" Jim Croce
9) WHAT IS 2+2? "Flesh and Blood" Johnny Cash
10) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND? "I'm Just Talkin' about Tonight" Toby Keith
11) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE? "Peace of Mind" Mindy Smith
12) WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY? "Those Words We Said" Trisha Yearwood
13) WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? "It Came Out Of The Sky" Creedence Clearwater Revival
14) WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE? "Masterblaster" Stevie Wonder
15) WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING? "Say You, Say Me" Lionel Richie (Maybe in 1988)
16) WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL? "He Ain't Worth Missing" Toby Keith (Ouch...)
17) WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST? "Why Would I Say Goodbye" Brooks & Dunn
18) WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET? "Baby's Gotten Good At Goodbye" George Strait
19) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS? "Back Home Again" John Denver
20) WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN? "Outlaw Man" The Eagles
21) HOW WILL YOU DIE? "Turn Out the Lights and Love Me Tonight" Don Williams
22) WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET? "Photographs and Memories" Jim Croce
23) WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH? "Ain't No Right Way" Toby Keith
24) WHAT MAKES YOU CRY? "Learn to Be Still" The Eagles
25) WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED? "Bop" Dan Seals
26) WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST? "Wall of Denial" Stevie Ray Vaughan
27) DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU? "Tragedy" Bee Gees
28) IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE? "Rocky Mountain Music" Eddie Rabbitt
29) WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW? "Ol 55" The Eagles
30) WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS NOTE AS? "The Grand Tour" Aaron Neville
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
One word
Where is your cell phone..............................Charger
Hair..................................................................Good
Your father.....................................................Alone
Your favorite thing........................................Laughter
Your dream last night...................................Forgot
Your favorite drink.......................................Tea
Your dream/goal...........................................Contentment
The room you are in.....................................Basement
Your fear........................................................Rejection
Where do you want to be in 6 years...........Alive
Muffins............................................................English
One of your wish list items...........................Purpose
Where you grew up.......................................Edison
The last thing you did...................................Type
What are you wearing...................................Sweats
Your TV...........................................................Sony
Your pets.........................................................Void
Your computer................................................Solid
Your life............................................................Question
Your mood........................................................Anxious
Missing someone..............................................Hogan
Your car............................................................Black
Favorite store...................................................Random
Your summer....................................................Short
Your favorite color............................................Blue
When is the last time you laughed..................Benigno
Last time you cried...........................................Marley
Three people who email me.............................Julie, Matt, Ted
Three of my favorite foods...............................Pizza, steak, pastrami
Three places I would rather be right now......Arizona, Virginia,
Three people I think will respond....................Not a clue
Hair..................................................................Good
Your father.....................................................Alone
Your favorite thing........................................Laughter
Your dream last night...................................Forgot
Your favorite drink.......................................Tea
Your dream/goal...........................................Contentment
The room you are in.....................................Basement
Your fear........................................................Rejection
Where do you want to be in 6 years...........Alive
Muffins............................................................English
One of your wish list items...........................Purpose
Where you grew up.......................................Edison
The last thing you did...................................Type
What are you wearing...................................Sweats
Your TV...........................................................Sony
Your pets.........................................................Void
Your computer................................................Solid
Your life............................................................Question
Your mood........................................................Anxious
Missing someone..............................................Hogan
Your car............................................................Black
Favorite store...................................................Random
Your summer....................................................Short
Your favorite color............................................Blue
When is the last time you laughed..................Benigno
Last time you cried...........................................Marley
Three people who email me.............................Julie, Matt, Ted
Three of my favorite foods...............................Pizza, steak, pastrami
Three places I would rather be right now......Arizona, Virginia,
Three people I think will respond....................Not a clue
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Caged Collision, other stuff
Right now, I should be prepping for the big game later, but after last night, I don't want to get out of this chair. I think I want another nap. But I think I'll do what has become basically a bi-monthly deal. So let's get to the latest.
ROH Caged Collision
1) As always, a huge amount of fun at ROH. What I liked was that top to bottom, this was one of the most consistently good shows I can remember. No 5-star matches, but nothing was disappointing.
2) I think Claudio is getting a little irritated at "Heeeeeeeeeey!" Just a hunch.
3) The brand new chant for Grizzly Redwood may be one of the funniest ever. And considering the incident in the corner that brought it on, well, it's amazing I even got any sleep last night.
4) For a world title match, Nigel vs. El Generico should have been promoted much better than it actually was.
5) That 10-man cage match was excellent. Roderick Strong is a beast. His post-match meal of broccoli and beer I find just a little odd, but, to each his own. And great job by the ring crew getting the cage set up in under 18 minutes.
The Party
1) Ace Steel is a very cool dude. We talked for 10 minutes about everything from "The Wrestler" to travel to his long run in the business.
2) Super agent Larry Sweeney finally shows up to a Chicago party. About time! And this was after he finally got the tar kicked out of him in the cage.
3) I swapped e-mail addresses with Kenny King. I hope he gives me some good tips about what to do in Vegas. No Q, we were not talking Karaoke. But that day is coming, you can count on it.
4) Jimmy Jacobs singing that song to Lacey. Nothing like it. We're swaying our cell phones back and forth and totally eating it up. And when Aries walked in during the middle of it, God, I wish I could have taken a photo of his face. The classic "What in God's name did I walk into here?"
5) Nice of ring announcer Bobby Cruise to come and finally talk to me. Of course, he waited till after the NFL season was over to talk smack about Chad Pennington. Where was Mr. New England himself when Chad was completing a season where he finished second in the MVP voting? Bobby, you have got to man up.
Other stuff
1) The Mets need to sign a starter and a right handed bat. They must get either Oliver Perez or Ben Sheets. On offense, I can live with them not getting Manny. But there is no way they are winning a division, let alone a pennant with Fernando Tatis, Luis Castillo, Brian Schneider, and a concussed Ryan Church in the starting lineup. I don't want to hear about shiny new stadiums, and luxury taxes, and all this. This team needs more. And not more left-handed hitting reserve outfielders. We have that market covered. Angel Pagan (Switch-hitter granted), Jeremy Reed, Marlon Anderson, Rob Mackowiak, Cory Sullivan, and even Daniel Murphy.
2) The Aaron Heilman sausage at Hot Doug's was re-named after one day. I guess there already is a backlash in Chicago about him.
3) Walter is the funniest dummy in the world.
Walter, how long have you been married?
46 years.
What was the happiest moment of your life?
47 years ago.
4) The Rangers score less than the Bermuda national soccer team. Right after their 1-0 loss in Boston ends, I turn on the NHL network. What game are they showing. April 1993, Mario Lemieux scores five goals, Penguins beat the Rangers 8-4 in the Garden! Oh the pain!
5) It amazes me the Charlestowne Mall in St. Charles closes at 6 p.m. on Sunday nights. In a broader sense, there are so few places to go late at night out here besides bars and to me, that gets old quickly unless you do that with a group of friends.
Song pick: "I've Done Enough Dying Today" Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers
ROH Caged Collision
1) As always, a huge amount of fun at ROH. What I liked was that top to bottom, this was one of the most consistently good shows I can remember. No 5-star matches, but nothing was disappointing.
2) I think Claudio is getting a little irritated at "Heeeeeeeeeey!" Just a hunch.
3) The brand new chant for Grizzly Redwood may be one of the funniest ever. And considering the incident in the corner that brought it on, well, it's amazing I even got any sleep last night.
4) For a world title match, Nigel vs. El Generico should have been promoted much better than it actually was.
5) That 10-man cage match was excellent. Roderick Strong is a beast. His post-match meal of broccoli and beer I find just a little odd, but, to each his own. And great job by the ring crew getting the cage set up in under 18 minutes.
The Party
1) Ace Steel is a very cool dude. We talked for 10 minutes about everything from "The Wrestler" to travel to his long run in the business.
2) Super agent Larry Sweeney finally shows up to a Chicago party. About time! And this was after he finally got the tar kicked out of him in the cage.
3) I swapped e-mail addresses with Kenny King. I hope he gives me some good tips about what to do in Vegas. No Q, we were not talking Karaoke. But that day is coming, you can count on it.
4) Jimmy Jacobs singing that song to Lacey. Nothing like it. We're swaying our cell phones back and forth and totally eating it up. And when Aries walked in during the middle of it, God, I wish I could have taken a photo of his face. The classic "What in God's name did I walk into here?"
5) Nice of ring announcer Bobby Cruise to come and finally talk to me. Of course, he waited till after the NFL season was over to talk smack about Chad Pennington. Where was Mr. New England himself when Chad was completing a season where he finished second in the MVP voting? Bobby, you have got to man up.
Other stuff
1) The Mets need to sign a starter and a right handed bat. They must get either Oliver Perez or Ben Sheets. On offense, I can live with them not getting Manny. But there is no way they are winning a division, let alone a pennant with Fernando Tatis, Luis Castillo, Brian Schneider, and a concussed Ryan Church in the starting lineup. I don't want to hear about shiny new stadiums, and luxury taxes, and all this. This team needs more. And not more left-handed hitting reserve outfielders. We have that market covered. Angel Pagan (Switch-hitter granted), Jeremy Reed, Marlon Anderson, Rob Mackowiak, Cory Sullivan, and even Daniel Murphy.
2) The Aaron Heilman sausage at Hot Doug's was re-named after one day. I guess there already is a backlash in Chicago about him.
3) Walter is the funniest dummy in the world.
Walter, how long have you been married?
46 years.
What was the happiest moment of your life?
47 years ago.
4) The Rangers score less than the Bermuda national soccer team. Right after their 1-0 loss in Boston ends, I turn on the NHL network. What game are they showing. April 1993, Mario Lemieux scores five goals, Penguins beat the Rangers 8-4 in the Garden! Oh the pain!
5) It amazes me the Charlestowne Mall in St. Charles closes at 6 p.m. on Sunday nights. In a broader sense, there are so few places to go late at night out here besides bars and to me, that gets old quickly unless you do that with a group of friends.
Song pick: "I've Done Enough Dying Today" Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
25 random things...I'll give in
So what can I think of that is different and not widely known amongst my friends, enemies, and people I have no contact with (the majority of my Facebook friends)?
1. My first job was at Panera Bread- back then it was still St. Louis Bread Company. I lasted one month and then quit.
2. My first sports jersey was a white Rodney Hampton Giants #27.
3. I have never done a drug or smoked a cigarette in my life.
4. My mother's family is Baptist and my father's is Catholic.
5. I have not eaten at a McDonald's in 21 years.
6. I met Rob Van Dam while stuck in the Denver airport. My high school class was trying to fly home from our senior trip and Baccalaureate had to be pushed back.
7) I have had three cars in my life: all Hondas.
8) I have never seen a Star Wars or Star Trek movie.
9) I don't like people who are full of themselves or dishonest.
10) I have never been fired from a job.
11) I watched the entire first season of Joe Millionaire.
12) I have visited 41 states.
13) I wish Whose Line Is It Anyway was still on TV.
14) I am aggravated only one season of Whose Line Is It Anyway is on DVD.
15) My favorite ballpark food is Boog Powell's BBQ sandwiches in Baltimore, MD.
16) I want to visit the Newseum in Washington DC.
17) My favorite Bible book is James, though I am trying to learn more about the Old Testament.
18) The only movies I own on DVD are Airplane!, Good Will Hunting, and The Passion of the Christ
19) I have 85 ROH DVD's.
20) I love country music through about 2000 and hate most of it since.
21) I have separated a shoulder and tore a knee tendon playing football; yet, I have never played it in an organized league.
22) I don't plan to get a tattoo or piercing.
23) I like laying in hammocks.
24) I keep just about every ticket from an event I go to.
25) Three countries I want to visit are Argentina, Australia, and Italy.
1. My first job was at Panera Bread- back then it was still St. Louis Bread Company. I lasted one month and then quit.
2. My first sports jersey was a white Rodney Hampton Giants #27.
3. I have never done a drug or smoked a cigarette in my life.
4. My mother's family is Baptist and my father's is Catholic.
5. I have not eaten at a McDonald's in 21 years.
6. I met Rob Van Dam while stuck in the Denver airport. My high school class was trying to fly home from our senior trip and Baccalaureate had to be pushed back.
7) I have had three cars in my life: all Hondas.
8) I have never seen a Star Wars or Star Trek movie.
9) I don't like people who are full of themselves or dishonest.
10) I have never been fired from a job.
11) I watched the entire first season of Joe Millionaire.
12) I have visited 41 states.
13) I wish Whose Line Is It Anyway was still on TV.
14) I am aggravated only one season of Whose Line Is It Anyway is on DVD.
15) My favorite ballpark food is Boog Powell's BBQ sandwiches in Baltimore, MD.
16) I want to visit the Newseum in Washington DC.
17) My favorite Bible book is James, though I am trying to learn more about the Old Testament.
18) The only movies I own on DVD are Airplane!, Good Will Hunting, and The Passion of the Christ
19) I have 85 ROH DVD's.
20) I love country music through about 2000 and hate most of it since.
21) I have separated a shoulder and tore a knee tendon playing football; yet, I have never played it in an organized league.
22) I don't plan to get a tattoo or piercing.
23) I like laying in hammocks.
24) I keep just about every ticket from an event I go to.
25) Three countries I want to visit are Argentina, Australia, and Italy.
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Still on ice
The remodeling on the house continues. I am now up to two weeks with no sink in my bathroom. Granted, this is not the worst thing to ever happen in my life, but I am a little tired of brushing my teeth in the kitchen. The Sedona red/orange paint I used to have on the walls is also gone and has been replaced by an aquamarine sort of deal. Can't say I like the change, but it'll do. Compared to some of the horrific flowery wallpaper I saw when I first moved in, it's actually much better.
And though it looks a lot nicer, my shower is not better. I have a stainless steel head now, and it must have been designed by those "Go Green" nutjobs. Because I get about half the water pressure of my last shower. With the temperature around 20 degrees outside, it is taking way too long to warm up.
Speaking of ice, let's get to some hockey. I enjoyed watching the Winter Classic from Wrigley Field on Thursday. Great pace for the first two periods until Detroit started to pull away. Hull, Mikita, and Espo singing "Take Me Out To The Hockey Game" was an outstanding touch. The broadcast may have missed a little bit with Doc out due to laryngitis, but Dave Strader filled in admirably. And it goes to show, you actually can install video boards at Wrigley Field. Would that be so outrageous?
And as for the Rangers, well, first place in the Atlantic Division is no longer theirs. They have only played one game in the last week, a 5-4 squeaker over the Ice-landers. Since then, Philly has jumped ahead of them by two points and the Devils tied them. Tonight, they play in Washington, which has been torture this year. Two weeks ago, they blew a 4-0 home lead and lost 5-4 in regulation. It is time for the "stars" to show they deserve the contracts they got and the reputations they have somehow attained. That means Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Michael Roszival, and certainly Wade Redden.
Song picks:
"Tullahoma Dancing Pizza Man" Eddie Rabbitt: I can't believe I cannot find this song on CD or online. It is so cool. I was a little surprised to find out this town is in Tennessee and not on the east coast.
"(Laura), What's He Got That I Ain't Got" First Edition: I probably posted this one before, but I never get tired of it. Granted, there is one rather twisted lyric towards the end. But it goes to show, don't lie, don't cheat, or you will pay the piper. A few people could stand to learn that.
And though it looks a lot nicer, my shower is not better. I have a stainless steel head now, and it must have been designed by those "Go Green" nutjobs. Because I get about half the water pressure of my last shower. With the temperature around 20 degrees outside, it is taking way too long to warm up.
Speaking of ice, let's get to some hockey. I enjoyed watching the Winter Classic from Wrigley Field on Thursday. Great pace for the first two periods until Detroit started to pull away. Hull, Mikita, and Espo singing "Take Me Out To The Hockey Game" was an outstanding touch. The broadcast may have missed a little bit with Doc out due to laryngitis, but Dave Strader filled in admirably. And it goes to show, you actually can install video boards at Wrigley Field. Would that be so outrageous?
And as for the Rangers, well, first place in the Atlantic Division is no longer theirs. They have only played one game in the last week, a 5-4 squeaker over the Ice-landers. Since then, Philly has jumped ahead of them by two points and the Devils tied them. Tonight, they play in Washington, which has been torture this year. Two weeks ago, they blew a 4-0 home lead and lost 5-4 in regulation. It is time for the "stars" to show they deserve the contracts they got and the reputations they have somehow attained. That means Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Michael Roszival, and certainly Wade Redden.
Song picks:
"Tullahoma Dancing Pizza Man" Eddie Rabbitt: I can't believe I cannot find this song on CD or online. It is so cool. I was a little surprised to find out this town is in Tennessee and not on the east coast.
"(Laura), What's He Got That I Ain't Got" First Edition: I probably posted this one before, but I never get tired of it. Granted, there is one rather twisted lyric towards the end. But it goes to show, don't lie, don't cheat, or you will pay the piper. A few people could stand to learn that.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Lull in scores
Well, the latest snowfall (I cannot remember a December that was this rough weather-wise) has delayed the basketball tournaments so I have some leftover time. And I haven't written in 16 days either. And my plane leaves in 15 hours, so I may as well write one final 2008 post.
1) Last Sunday was the coldest I have been since Urbana. I spent most of it in the city and I started off going to Moody Church. The kids did a 30-minute presentation called "Christmas in Reverse" with songs and dramas. Great stuff. Then we wanted to hit Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder for lunch, but they were closed. Their website said they opened at 11:30, the sign said 12:00. No good. So we went to Gibson's and had some steak sandwiches and garbage salad. Great stuff, though I would not pay $35 each to eat lunch there. Then we went to the Cadillac Palace Theater and watched Dirty Dancing. I thought the show was pretty good, all in all. The crowd was a little younger than the Jersey Boys crowd, which I didn't mind all that much. And great job by Mom finding two spots on the street to park, so we didn't even have to pay for that.
So we get in the car and it's 4 p.m. For the second time that day, we drove to Willow Creek to find my cell phone, but no luck. I turn on 1000 AM to get a Jets score. They were down 7-3 and I felt bad, but not totally in despair. Later, I found out about Wideload Mangini going for it from his own 20, down 7, and with three timeouts and the 2-minute warning. That was all I needed.
2) The Jets have me aggravated beyond belief. Mangini's coaching against Seattle was putrid. From the play I just described, to kicking a field goal on4th and 1 from the Seattle 1 on the first series of the game, to actually punting after Jay Feely drilled a 45-yard field goal that was called back after they then took a 5-yard delay of game penalty. The entire coaching staff really needs to go. The only coaches I can remember being this frustrated with in recent memory are Isiah Thomas and John Muckler. If New England wins their early game, I hope Miami beats the Jets just to keep the Patriots out of the playoffs. I've written the same thing 100 times now. But let's put it as Joe B put it.
3) And then the Rangers. 4-0 lead over Washington. The Garden was buzzing. And before you knew it, Washington ties it and wins the game in OT. First time since 1979 the Rangers blew a 4-0 lead at home. They built the lead and stopped playing hockey. No hitting, no aggression. I mean they out there in the third period doing Figure 8's! If I want to see that kind of skating, I'll go to the Ice Capades. When are Kimmie Meisner and Sarah Hughes coming to town? Are the Rangers about to sign Brian Boitano?
4) Devils-Penguins at the Rock Friday night (An Italian hot dog from Jimmy Buff's is in my future). And then Final Battle 2008 Saturday night. My picks:
ROH World Title Match: Nigel McGuinness over Naomichi Marufuji
Fight Without Honor: Bryan Danielson over Takeshi Morishima
Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. Kensuke Sasaki & Katsuhiko Nakajima
ROH World Tag Team Title Match: Kevin Steen & El Generico over Jimmy Jacobs & Delirious
Tyler Black over Austin Aries
New York City Street Fight: Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards, & Go Shiozaki over Brent Albright, Roderick Strong, & Erick Stevens
Four Corner Survival: Chris Hero over Jerry Lynn, "Addicted to Love" Rhett Titus, The Necro Butcher
Claudio Castagnoli over Kenny Omega
5) How can "Santa Claus is Watching You" by Ray Stevens not be available for download on Itunes? Aside from Magnifica, that is the greatest Christmas song ever.
1) Last Sunday was the coldest I have been since Urbana. I spent most of it in the city and I started off going to Moody Church. The kids did a 30-minute presentation called "Christmas in Reverse" with songs and dramas. Great stuff. Then we wanted to hit Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder for lunch, but they were closed. Their website said they opened at 11:30, the sign said 12:00. No good. So we went to Gibson's and had some steak sandwiches and garbage salad. Great stuff, though I would not pay $35 each to eat lunch there. Then we went to the Cadillac Palace Theater and watched Dirty Dancing. I thought the show was pretty good, all in all. The crowd was a little younger than the Jersey Boys crowd, which I didn't mind all that much. And great job by Mom finding two spots on the street to park, so we didn't even have to pay for that.
So we get in the car and it's 4 p.m. For the second time that day, we drove to Willow Creek to find my cell phone, but no luck. I turn on 1000 AM to get a Jets score. They were down 7-3 and I felt bad, but not totally in despair. Later, I found out about Wideload Mangini going for it from his own 20, down 7, and with three timeouts and the 2-minute warning. That was all I needed.
2) The Jets have me aggravated beyond belief. Mangini's coaching against Seattle was putrid. From the play I just described, to kicking a field goal on4th and 1 from the Seattle 1 on the first series of the game, to actually punting after Jay Feely drilled a 45-yard field goal that was called back after they then took a 5-yard delay of game penalty. The entire coaching staff really needs to go. The only coaches I can remember being this frustrated with in recent memory are Isiah Thomas and John Muckler. If New England wins their early game, I hope Miami beats the Jets just to keep the Patriots out of the playoffs. I've written the same thing 100 times now. But let's put it as Joe B put it.
The Dolphins have Bill Parcells in charge of the football operations: Michael
Corleone. The Patriots have Belichick: Sonny Corleone. The Jets? We have Eric
Mangini: Fredo Corleone. If you know "The Godfather", nothing else needs to be
said. If the Jets don't make the playoffs, I want him fired.
3) And then the Rangers. 4-0 lead over Washington. The Garden was buzzing. And before you knew it, Washington ties it and wins the game in OT. First time since 1979 the Rangers blew a 4-0 lead at home. They built the lead and stopped playing hockey. No hitting, no aggression. I mean they out there in the third period doing Figure 8's! If I want to see that kind of skating, I'll go to the Ice Capades. When are Kimmie Meisner and Sarah Hughes coming to town? Are the Rangers about to sign Brian Boitano?
4) Devils-Penguins at the Rock Friday night (An Italian hot dog from Jimmy Buff's is in my future). And then Final Battle 2008 Saturday night. My picks:
ROH World Title Match: Nigel McGuinness over Naomichi Marufuji
Fight Without Honor: Bryan Danielson over Takeshi Morishima
Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. Kensuke Sasaki & Katsuhiko Nakajima
ROH World Tag Team Title Match: Kevin Steen & El Generico over Jimmy Jacobs & Delirious
Tyler Black over Austin Aries
New York City Street Fight: Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards, & Go Shiozaki over Brent Albright, Roderick Strong, & Erick Stevens
Four Corner Survival: Chris Hero over Jerry Lynn, "Addicted to Love" Rhett Titus, The Necro Butcher
Claudio Castagnoli over Kenny Omega
5) How can "Santa Claus is Watching You" by Ray Stevens not be available for download on Itunes? Aside from Magnifica, that is the greatest Christmas song ever.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
The offseason begins
OK, I feel ready to write without screaming now. Following the football and another lovely shutout loss by the Rangers at home (have they put a puck in the net in December?), I need to turn to another sport: baseball. The Winter Meetings have started in Las Vegas and that's where the wheels of player transactions really start to gain some traction. And after the Mets' second straight meltdown and a miserable ending to Shea Stadium, we as Mets fans have suffered enough. We expect better and it is time to get better. These are the four areas I think need to be addressed more than anything.
1) Bullpen
2) Setup men
3) Second base
4) Fourth starter
1) I have written post after post about the horrors of the Mets bullpen. I am not going to go through the stats again. With Billy Wagner out for the season, they need a closer. The good thing is no other team really seems to be willing to commit a multi-year contract to a closer. So the Mets control the market right now. The top three are Francisco Rodriguez, Brian Fuentes, and Kerry Wood. I cannot count Trevor Hoffman, unless he is willing to pitch the 8th inning. Now Wood intrigues me. I thought he did an outstanding job for the Cubs this past year and I think he would come at a reasonable price. His injury history is longer than Pacman Jones' rapsheet, but the bullpen may be what he needs to stay moderately healthy. I have zero interest in Fuentes. During the Rockies' run to the 2007 World Series, he was demoted from the closer role. Even the Mets cost him a few saves. Nuff said. K-Rod may have some miles on his arm. But he is the guy that I want. He has moxie, vicious stuff, and is only 26. I would go 4 guaranteed years for $12 million per.
2) Now that is not enough. Oh no. This team needs an influx of setup men. I really believe the Mets need to sign at least three bridges to the ninth, maybe even four. I like sidewinding Joe Smith for sure and everyone else to me is a question mark. I would take lefty Pedro Feliciano back but would not mind trading him either. I feel the same way about Brian Stokes and Duaner Sanchez (if he can recover his lost velocity). Eddie Kunz and Bobby Parnell (who the Mets refused to trade to the White Sox) will probably both have a chance to earn a spot. I have defended Aaron Heilman, but he needs to go. Contrary to that is Scott Schoeneweis, who I have not defended and absolutely needs to go.
So let's assume the Mets sign a closer and bring back just Smith, Feliciano, and Stokes. For lefties, I would sign Joe Beimel and Will Ohman in a minute. Eddie Guardado, I would be cautious of, but I can see Omar taking a chance on him. For righties, the guy I really want is Juan Cruz. He can fire the ball, which so few Met relievers did last year. Outside of Stokes, I don't think a Mets reliever ever broke 94 MPH. He will cost draft picks though, so that is a drawback. Brandon Lyon and Juan Rincon would also fit in well. I would love to bring in Huston Street as an 8th inning guy, but that would require a trade. They also need a long reliever, though Nelson Figueroa could possibly fill that role.
3) If there is a Mets fan out there who wants Luis Castillo to be the second baseman on Opening Day, raise your hand. This is one of the few contracts where everyone hated it as soon as it would signed and as the season went on, the hatred only deepened. He has 3 years and about $18 million left. Omar Minaya has to trade him. I would trade him for an extra tarp for the infield during weather delays. And they have got to bring Orlando Hudson in. He brings the character and energy the Mets have lacked for two years. He would be an ideal No. 2 hitter behind Jose Reyes. He plays great defense. He wants to be in New York. If Hudson cannot be had, then a viable 1 year option who can play off the bench should be added (Mark Grudzielanek or Mark Loretta).
4) The Mets have Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, and John Maine as their top 3 starters. The big question is whether they should sign Oliver Perez. He reminds me of a mechanical bull. His stuff is so electric but too often, he can't harness it. I would give him 4 guaranteed years, but would not go past 10 million per. And I would add a lot of performance-based incentives. Anything to motivate him. If they do not keep Ollie, they need to sign a 4th starter. Jon Garland is the big name, but his numbers have plummeted the last three years. I would proceed with caution with him. I like Randy Wolf and Brad Penny as well. Too many other guys are injury-prone (Prior, Mulder). As for Pedro, I would give him a one year offer for 5 million, nothing more. And I would give Jon Niese a shot to earn the 5th starter's spot against a Jason Vargas or a Brandon Knight. Ouch. They need a good starter. Or maybe Parnell could start...
A few other notes:
I would like to get a better catcher than Brian Schenider, but that is not a realistic possibility right now. I would not mind adding a left fielder, but I don't know where he's coming from. I do not want Manny Ramirez. Adam Dunn strikes out too much. Thank God they are not interested in Pat Burrell. I guess Raul Ibanez would be a fine addition for three years. Tatis, Murphy, Pagan, Evans, Argenis Reyes, and Castro make up a pretty good bench for now, though some power could be used. Damion Easley was good, but he is old and his last two seasons have ended with injuries. I would add either Rocco Baldelli or Jason Michaels. I would welcome them in a heartbeat. And perhaps we will see Fernando Martinez debut in the big leagues sometime this summer.
But back to the present day. Now I understand Omar is set to meet with K-Rod tonight. And Omar is determined to leave Las Vegas on Wednesday with a closer. The buzz in baseball seems to suggest the Mets will offer K-Rod a three-year deal, with an option for a fourth year, all worth roughly $12 million per season. If Francisco Rodriguez takes that, I will be thrilled. But there will still be plenty of work to do.
It is time to take the National League back.
1) Bullpen
2) Setup men
3) Second base
4) Fourth starter
1) I have written post after post about the horrors of the Mets bullpen. I am not going to go through the stats again. With Billy Wagner out for the season, they need a closer. The good thing is no other team really seems to be willing to commit a multi-year contract to a closer. So the Mets control the market right now. The top three are Francisco Rodriguez, Brian Fuentes, and Kerry Wood. I cannot count Trevor Hoffman, unless he is willing to pitch the 8th inning. Now Wood intrigues me. I thought he did an outstanding job for the Cubs this past year and I think he would come at a reasonable price. His injury history is longer than Pacman Jones' rapsheet, but the bullpen may be what he needs to stay moderately healthy. I have zero interest in Fuentes. During the Rockies' run to the 2007 World Series, he was demoted from the closer role. Even the Mets cost him a few saves. Nuff said. K-Rod may have some miles on his arm. But he is the guy that I want. He has moxie, vicious stuff, and is only 26. I would go 4 guaranteed years for $12 million per.
2) Now that is not enough. Oh no. This team needs an influx of setup men. I really believe the Mets need to sign at least three bridges to the ninth, maybe even four. I like sidewinding Joe Smith for sure and everyone else to me is a question mark. I would take lefty Pedro Feliciano back but would not mind trading him either. I feel the same way about Brian Stokes and Duaner Sanchez (if he can recover his lost velocity). Eddie Kunz and Bobby Parnell (who the Mets refused to trade to the White Sox) will probably both have a chance to earn a spot. I have defended Aaron Heilman, but he needs to go. Contrary to that is Scott Schoeneweis, who I have not defended and absolutely needs to go.
So let's assume the Mets sign a closer and bring back just Smith, Feliciano, and Stokes. For lefties, I would sign Joe Beimel and Will Ohman in a minute. Eddie Guardado, I would be cautious of, but I can see Omar taking a chance on him. For righties, the guy I really want is Juan Cruz. He can fire the ball, which so few Met relievers did last year. Outside of Stokes, I don't think a Mets reliever ever broke 94 MPH. He will cost draft picks though, so that is a drawback. Brandon Lyon and Juan Rincon would also fit in well. I would love to bring in Huston Street as an 8th inning guy, but that would require a trade. They also need a long reliever, though Nelson Figueroa could possibly fill that role.
3) If there is a Mets fan out there who wants Luis Castillo to be the second baseman on Opening Day, raise your hand. This is one of the few contracts where everyone hated it as soon as it would signed and as the season went on, the hatred only deepened. He has 3 years and about $18 million left. Omar Minaya has to trade him. I would trade him for an extra tarp for the infield during weather delays. And they have got to bring Orlando Hudson in. He brings the character and energy the Mets have lacked for two years. He would be an ideal No. 2 hitter behind Jose Reyes. He plays great defense. He wants to be in New York. If Hudson cannot be had, then a viable 1 year option who can play off the bench should be added (Mark Grudzielanek or Mark Loretta).
4) The Mets have Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, and John Maine as their top 3 starters. The big question is whether they should sign Oliver Perez. He reminds me of a mechanical bull. His stuff is so electric but too often, he can't harness it. I would give him 4 guaranteed years, but would not go past 10 million per. And I would add a lot of performance-based incentives. Anything to motivate him. If they do not keep Ollie, they need to sign a 4th starter. Jon Garland is the big name, but his numbers have plummeted the last three years. I would proceed with caution with him. I like Randy Wolf and Brad Penny as well. Too many other guys are injury-prone (Prior, Mulder). As for Pedro, I would give him a one year offer for 5 million, nothing more. And I would give Jon Niese a shot to earn the 5th starter's spot against a Jason Vargas or a Brandon Knight. Ouch. They need a good starter. Or maybe Parnell could start...
A few other notes:
I would like to get a better catcher than Brian Schenider, but that is not a realistic possibility right now. I would not mind adding a left fielder, but I don't know where he's coming from. I do not want Manny Ramirez. Adam Dunn strikes out too much. Thank God they are not interested in Pat Burrell. I guess Raul Ibanez would be a fine addition for three years. Tatis, Murphy, Pagan, Evans, Argenis Reyes, and Castro make up a pretty good bench for now, though some power could be used. Damion Easley was good, but he is old and his last two seasons have ended with injuries. I would add either Rocco Baldelli or Jason Michaels. I would welcome them in a heartbeat. And perhaps we will see Fernando Martinez debut in the big leagues sometime this summer.
But back to the present day. Now I understand Omar is set to meet with K-Rod tonight. And Omar is determined to leave Las Vegas on Wednesday with a closer. The buzz in baseball seems to suggest the Mets will offer K-Rod a three-year deal, with an option for a fourth year, all worth roughly $12 million per season. If Francisco Rodriguez takes that, I will be thrilled. But there will still be plenty of work to do.
It is time to take the National League back.
Consistent misery
I wasn't upset over losing to Denver last week. But after this joke of a performance against the lousy 49ers, I am disgusted with this team. This defense is a joke. I want Bob Sutton out of here now! Now! 53-year-old Isaac Bruce looked like Jerry Rice, Steve Largent, and Michael Irvin all rolled into one the way the secondary let him roam all over the field. But the two stats that get to me the most are time of possession and third downs. SF had the ball 40 minutes compared to 20 for the Jets. And SF converted 8 of 15 third downs. The Jets? 1 of 10! The defense could not get off the field all day and when the offense did get on, they inspired very little confidence. On five second half possessions, four of them were 3 and outs.
Right from the get-go, I could sense what was going to happen. SF opens up with an onside kick, but the Jets recover. They start at the SF 46. They go 3 and out. And with a 4th and 2 on the 38, our genius coach punts. He doesn't try to kick, he doesn't go for it. He punts, which amounts to an 18 yard gain.
And before this game, I had never heard of #44 James Ihedigbo. He may have my job next week for all I know. But with the Jets down 17-14, Leon Washington runs a kick 90 yards back for a go ahead TD. I'm going nuts, I'm cheering, I'm hollering. Then, the flag. Holding on this idiot who I had never heard of and never want to hear from ever again. The Jets never got a first down the rest of the game.
And throw in the fact that Indianapolis, Miami, Pittsburgh, Denver, and those scumbag Patriots won, that makes my night even more disgusting. Same old, same old. This is reality. Some things really never do change. The Jets are now tied for 1st with New England and Miami with three games to go.
Benigno, you had better give me a classic tomorrow. I need it.
Right from the get-go, I could sense what was going to happen. SF opens up with an onside kick, but the Jets recover. They start at the SF 46. They go 3 and out. And with a 4th and 2 on the 38, our genius coach punts. He doesn't try to kick, he doesn't go for it. He punts, which amounts to an 18 yard gain.
And before this game, I had never heard of #44 James Ihedigbo. He may have my job next week for all I know. But with the Jets down 17-14, Leon Washington runs a kick 90 yards back for a go ahead TD. I'm going nuts, I'm cheering, I'm hollering. Then, the flag. Holding on this idiot who I had never heard of and never want to hear from ever again. The Jets never got a first down the rest of the game.
And throw in the fact that Indianapolis, Miami, Pittsburgh, Denver, and those scumbag Patriots won, that makes my night even more disgusting. Same old, same old. This is reality. Some things really never do change. The Jets are now tied for 1st with New England and Miami with three games to go.
Benigno, you had better give me a classic tomorrow. I need it.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Florida, part 3
OK, now I'm finishing this up.
Tuesday's dinner was at DaRuMa, a Japanese joint, east of Sarasota. We sat with four girls and two guys (around my age) celebrating a b-day for one of the girls. I could tell she was the classic "high maintenance-thinks she's low maintenance, partying blonde." But they were all cool. I even had the "honor" of taking pictures of them drinking sake bombs. And I don't think Dad was prepared for the simultaneous table bang that precedes the drinking of the bomb. The meal was excellent (the chef did do the flaming onion volcano!); I hadn't had that kind of food in maybe a year when I was at the Dells. And this was the first teppanyaki restaurant I had been to that serves duck breast. I enjoyed the taste and I thought it was a creative addition to the standard menu.
Wednesday was the John W. Ringling Museum, seemingly from start to finish. We got there around 10 and were there about five hours total. Now if I had known this complex was outdoors with a lot of buildings around, I would have taken a jacket along. As I walked through the first museum, the History of the Ringling Circus, I read about a lot of the circus performers, their lives, their legacies, and that kind of thing. I realized a lot of clowns, comedians, etc. really are the masters of image management. So many times they try to fix their own unhappiness by making others happy. I credit that, there are certainly worse approaches to take. Through bad, good can come out. Maybe in a way, it's a good kind of deception. But still, they still can't deceive themselves once the show is over.
The Howard Tibbals Circus Model is something every human being should see in person. It is remarkable. This guy spent 50 years designing and crafting a 1920's miniature circus and it is now displayed in the Education Museum at the Ringling Complex. And it contains 42,143 individual items, and that does not even include some of the small pieces like all the thousands of railroad tracks and stakes.
The Ca d'Zan mansion was John and Mable's dream mansion built right off Sarasota Bay. I took a number of photos of this place. I would not mind hosting a party on the outdoor marble terrace. We also checked out the dwarf garden, with statues of various dwarfs. Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy... eh, not quite. Finally, we hit the art museum. The Ringling's were huge collectors of classic art and they have a separate museum just to show it off. Most notably, I saw a lot of 15th and 16th century paintings with Christian depictions.
I took the afternoon to be alone and I wasn't the only one who needed that time either. Following some stone crab that night at Moore's, we headed in for the evening. The next morning (our final full day), we had breakfast on Siesta Key at the Broken Egg, a place Dick Vitale has endorsed many times. And you can tell; they have his books, CD's, signed memorabilia all over the front windows of the place. Besides, that, they feature a lot of unique art spread out around the walls. It definitely adds to the ambience; it's not just another breakfast place you walk in, sit, grab the newspaper, drink coffee, eat eggs, and leave. It feels more homey and more inviting. Of course, we inquired about the bagels. Not New York. I did enjoy my three egg/turkey sausage breakfast very much though. On the way home, mom and I really got to Dad with on the go Trivial Pursuit. (Thanks...) We answered questions he had no idea we would ever get. I doubt it really bothered him, he just likes seeing us react. We decided to chill and since it was a very warm day, we wanted to get one last good day of sun. While Mom went to the salon, Dad and I went over to the shuffleboard court. I had not played this in maybe 10 years. He won the first game 79-63, I won the second 78-59, and I held him off in the decider 75-73. From there, I went down to the hotel pool area and tanned for a while (listened to a few Ortberg messages in there as well) and spent about a half hour in the hot tub. Yeah, I enjoyed that. So I actually skipped lunch. Seriously.
We wound it up at Roy's Hawaiian Fusion for dinner. I had heard about this place and noticed it the first day as we rolled down Tamiami. I'm glad we saved this place for the final meal. This place basically mixes European and Asian food and the result is outstanding. A Mai Tai was tempting but I decided to stay straight and opted for iced tea. The first sign that this place was different was instead of bringing out a plate of bread, they brought out a plate of seasoned edamame, the Japanese soybean. That always reminds me of the CPK Thai crunch salad. Very good, but even Dad would not go for that. We opened with asian BBQ ribs and lobster potstickers for appetizers. Mom also had a wedge salad and I like how all the ingredients were separated on the plate so she could mix them in however she wanted. For the main courses, Dad had the best Peking duck I've ever had. The hoisin BBQ sauce was smoky and savory. Mom had Hawaiian ono with Israeli Cous Cous and sweet potato puree. Don't ask me how, supposedly, it was amazing. As for me, I did a seafood sampler with salmon, butterfish, ahi, alongside bok choy and rice. Each fish was served in small square sushi dishes (Say that ten times fast). The flavors were remarkable. Though the waiter warned me I would "fall in love" with the butterfish, I have to say I preferred the salmon with the citrus sauce. And dessert. And dessert. And dessert. Dad had these coconut macaroons topped with creme brulee ice cream and one or two other things I can't remember, pronounce, or spell. Great stuff. Mom had the Melting Hot Chocolate Souffle cake. Not I didn't try it. As for me, it was the Pineapple Upside Down Cake with vanilla ice cream. Uh, yeah. I suddenly wasn't too upset about missing the peach cobbler at Fleming's. I would definitely try the Roy's in Chi-town for a special occasion. That night, we saw a Jeff Dunham special on Comedy Central. He is one funny dude.
The next morning, we grabbed some more Toojay's sandwiches for the ride home. Uh, where is the side of mustard??? I'm still looking... But the XM made the plane ride home good. And two days later, it started snowing. Good ol' Chi-town.
Late breaking news: Donors wanted for a man whose buttocks were blown off in a nuclear accident. As of now, no end is in sight.
Tuesday's dinner was at DaRuMa, a Japanese joint, east of Sarasota. We sat with four girls and two guys (around my age) celebrating a b-day for one of the girls. I could tell she was the classic "high maintenance-thinks she's low maintenance, partying blonde." But they were all cool. I even had the "honor" of taking pictures of them drinking sake bombs. And I don't think Dad was prepared for the simultaneous table bang that precedes the drinking of the bomb. The meal was excellent (the chef did do the flaming onion volcano!); I hadn't had that kind of food in maybe a year when I was at the Dells. And this was the first teppanyaki restaurant I had been to that serves duck breast. I enjoyed the taste and I thought it was a creative addition to the standard menu.
Wednesday was the John W. Ringling Museum, seemingly from start to finish. We got there around 10 and were there about five hours total. Now if I had known this complex was outdoors with a lot of buildings around, I would have taken a jacket along. As I walked through the first museum, the History of the Ringling Circus, I read about a lot of the circus performers, their lives, their legacies, and that kind of thing. I realized a lot of clowns, comedians, etc. really are the masters of image management. So many times they try to fix their own unhappiness by making others happy. I credit that, there are certainly worse approaches to take. Through bad, good can come out. Maybe in a way, it's a good kind of deception. But still, they still can't deceive themselves once the show is over.
The Howard Tibbals Circus Model is something every human being should see in person. It is remarkable. This guy spent 50 years designing and crafting a 1920's miniature circus and it is now displayed in the Education Museum at the Ringling Complex. And it contains 42,143 individual items, and that does not even include some of the small pieces like all the thousands of railroad tracks and stakes.
The Ca d'Zan mansion was John and Mable's dream mansion built right off Sarasota Bay. I took a number of photos of this place. I would not mind hosting a party on the outdoor marble terrace. We also checked out the dwarf garden, with statues of various dwarfs. Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy... eh, not quite. Finally, we hit the art museum. The Ringling's were huge collectors of classic art and they have a separate museum just to show it off. Most notably, I saw a lot of 15th and 16th century paintings with Christian depictions.
I took the afternoon to be alone and I wasn't the only one who needed that time either. Following some stone crab that night at Moore's, we headed in for the evening. The next morning (our final full day), we had breakfast on Siesta Key at the Broken Egg, a place Dick Vitale has endorsed many times. And you can tell; they have his books, CD's, signed memorabilia all over the front windows of the place. Besides, that, they feature a lot of unique art spread out around the walls. It definitely adds to the ambience; it's not just another breakfast place you walk in, sit, grab the newspaper, drink coffee, eat eggs, and leave. It feels more homey and more inviting. Of course, we inquired about the bagels. Not New York. I did enjoy my three egg/turkey sausage breakfast very much though. On the way home, mom and I really got to Dad with on the go Trivial Pursuit. (Thanks...) We answered questions he had no idea we would ever get. I doubt it really bothered him, he just likes seeing us react. We decided to chill and since it was a very warm day, we wanted to get one last good day of sun. While Mom went to the salon, Dad and I went over to the shuffleboard court. I had not played this in maybe 10 years. He won the first game 79-63, I won the second 78-59, and I held him off in the decider 75-73. From there, I went down to the hotel pool area and tanned for a while (listened to a few Ortberg messages in there as well) and spent about a half hour in the hot tub. Yeah, I enjoyed that. So I actually skipped lunch. Seriously.
We wound it up at Roy's Hawaiian Fusion for dinner. I had heard about this place and noticed it the first day as we rolled down Tamiami. I'm glad we saved this place for the final meal. This place basically mixes European and Asian food and the result is outstanding. A Mai Tai was tempting but I decided to stay straight and opted for iced tea. The first sign that this place was different was instead of bringing out a plate of bread, they brought out a plate of seasoned edamame, the Japanese soybean. That always reminds me of the CPK Thai crunch salad. Very good, but even Dad would not go for that. We opened with asian BBQ ribs and lobster potstickers for appetizers. Mom also had a wedge salad and I like how all the ingredients were separated on the plate so she could mix them in however she wanted. For the main courses, Dad had the best Peking duck I've ever had. The hoisin BBQ sauce was smoky and savory. Mom had Hawaiian ono with Israeli Cous Cous and sweet potato puree. Don't ask me how, supposedly, it was amazing. As for me, I did a seafood sampler with salmon, butterfish, ahi, alongside bok choy and rice. Each fish was served in small square sushi dishes (Say that ten times fast). The flavors were remarkable. Though the waiter warned me I would "fall in love" with the butterfish, I have to say I preferred the salmon with the citrus sauce. And dessert. And dessert. And dessert. Dad had these coconut macaroons topped with creme brulee ice cream and one or two other things I can't remember, pronounce, or spell. Great stuff. Mom had the Melting Hot Chocolate Souffle cake. Not I didn't try it. As for me, it was the Pineapple Upside Down Cake with vanilla ice cream. Uh, yeah. I suddenly wasn't too upset about missing the peach cobbler at Fleming's. I would definitely try the Roy's in Chi-town for a special occasion. That night, we saw a Jeff Dunham special on Comedy Central. He is one funny dude.
The next morning, we grabbed some more Toojay's sandwiches for the ride home. Uh, where is the side of mustard??? I'm still looking... But the XM made the plane ride home good. And two days later, it started snowing. Good ol' Chi-town.
Late breaking news: Donors wanted for a man whose buttocks were blown off in a nuclear accident. As of now, no end is in sight.
Florida, part 2
I woke up Monday, and since I had not worked out in several days, I wanted to check out the gym while Mom was getting a pedicure. Now I had to wait until 9 am to go. Reason being I had to get a key from the lobby and the lobby does not open until 9. The gym was terrible, the treadmill had about 15 different controls and all I could do was raise and lower the incline. The elliptical runner was anything but smooth. And I figured about four lifts on the universal gym. So I ran on the beach. Around 11, with the weather pretty good, we decided to take a 90-minute lunch boat cruise from Marina Jack's to all around Sarasota Bay. The only celebrity homes we saw were Brian Johnson's (lead singer of AC/DC) and Jerry Springer's. Not sure what that says, but.... Actually, the views were stunning, and we got a little bit of history about the bay, though not as much as I would have liked.
Then it was off to Smuggler's Cove for mini golf. This was the one thing where I volunteered to pay for everyone. And had I known it cost $10 per game, I might have reconsidered. At this course, they have a pond with real life alligators that people are allowed to feed. After the front 9, Mom and I were tied at 2-over with Dad one shot back. Though both my parents hit a hole-in-one on the back nine and I did not, that was fine. See, I was all about consistency. I shot a two on every back 9 hole, for a score of 1-over for the back 9, and a 1-over 39 for the round. Mom shot 42 and Dad had two costly 4's, leaving him at 45. I still have the scorecard on my desk...
From there, we drove to Longboat Key, which is just north of St. Armand's. It is a very quiet island, very narrow with one main road and a ton of summer homes, condos, and hotels. I did see a lot of For Sale signs though. I guess a lot of people have to give these homes up with the economy struggling the way it is. We stopped to explore a couple of the beaches and we really took in the blue sky, the sand, the rocks, the warm air, and the sound of the waves crashing on the shore. We then went south to Siesta Key, which hosts one of the more famous public beaches in Florida. That night, I polished off the Trivial Pursuit game, winning the sports/leisure and history questions. Yes, those were the LAST two I got right. I did get whipped in Uno though.
Onto Tuesday. Mom and I walked the John W. Ringling Bridge, which connects the Sarasota mainland to St. Armand's Circle. It took 15 minutes each way and it is shaped like the top of a triangle, straight uphill and then straight downhill. Very good walk. We continued the walk into the circle for breakfast at the Blue Dolphin Cafe, a very small, popular neighborhood joint. They had killer French toast. The thick country bread tasted like it had been marinated in cinnamon and vanilla for days. Meanwhile, Dad read his latest book on the beach. We came back and drove east about an hour, arriving at Myakka River State Park. As we drove in, we noticed a flock of vultures flying around. I think Dad was already nervous by this point. But we took an airboat tour through a lake filled with alligators. Now the boat is covered with six seats out in front. In front of those seats is where the captain of the ship sits. Right in front of him are three more seats. And guess who got those three seats??? We sat and I immediately noticed the rail of the boat didn't even go past my shins. So if the boat tipped, well, it's been a good 27 years. The driver gave a very informative and entertaining tour, but where I was sitting, I could barely understand any of it. Anyway after about 15 minutes, we spotted the first gator. As they came a little closer, the driver seemed to slow the boat down. Two of them actually swam right by us. When I say right by us, I mean they were about one foot in front of the boat. It was a little crazy, but really interesting too. All in all, I would say we spotted about 20-25 gators. What was really cool was up in top of a tree, I saw a bald eagle for the first time. And later in the shop (where you can purchase gator stew, by the way), I got an acoustic guitar record and a new beaded necklace.
Then we drove over to the Nature Trail and Mom started leading us through the woods. I figured it was just a typical walk through the woods. Little did I know she had a scheme cooking. We came to this tall wooden tower, the kind you would expect to see a zip line. Instead, we climbed stairs to about 35-40 feet in the air. We then walked across an 85-foot long suspension bridge, one of the few in the US. Dad then headed back downstairs while Mom and I climbed to the top of the tower, 76 feet high. There may not have been any mountains in sight, but getting higher than treetops and being able to see so far away was sweet. And unexpected to boot.
We drove back to Siesta Key for lunch at the Lobster Pot. A very New Englandish seafood joint. Mom had her lobster roll, so that made her day. I almost tried this blueberry beer from Maine, but in the end, stuck with iced tea. I think by this time, we were pretty tired and needed to rest.
At this point, a few observations:
1) The highs have been around 70, the lows around 50. With the heavy winds on Lido, I need about 10 more degrees for what I would call reasonable beach weather.
2) I have never heard and seen so much John Denver. Between the radio, TV, and the highway signs! I think I'm not in Colorado, but now I don't know.
3) The radio stations are much better here than in Chicago.
4) I watched Wheel of Fortune. Next was Family Feud. The question was "Name someone famous whose last name is 'White.'" I never thought of Vanna. And Mom didn't think of Barry. That's embarrassing.
5) Watched DDD on the Food Network late one night. The show was about turkey. They actually highlights the Alpine Steakhouse in Sarasota! Their specialty is turducken, which includes duck, chicken, turkey and a cornbread stuffing. Unfortunately, I was the only one awake at the time. Needless to say, we never made it there.
Then it was off to Smuggler's Cove for mini golf. This was the one thing where I volunteered to pay for everyone. And had I known it cost $10 per game, I might have reconsidered. At this course, they have a pond with real life alligators that people are allowed to feed. After the front 9, Mom and I were tied at 2-over with Dad one shot back. Though both my parents hit a hole-in-one on the back nine and I did not, that was fine. See, I was all about consistency. I shot a two on every back 9 hole, for a score of 1-over for the back 9, and a 1-over 39 for the round. Mom shot 42 and Dad had two costly 4's, leaving him at 45. I still have the scorecard on my desk...
From there, we drove to Longboat Key, which is just north of St. Armand's. It is a very quiet island, very narrow with one main road and a ton of summer homes, condos, and hotels. I did see a lot of For Sale signs though. I guess a lot of people have to give these homes up with the economy struggling the way it is. We stopped to explore a couple of the beaches and we really took in the blue sky, the sand, the rocks, the warm air, and the sound of the waves crashing on the shore. We then went south to Siesta Key, which hosts one of the more famous public beaches in Florida. That night, I polished off the Trivial Pursuit game, winning the sports/leisure and history questions. Yes, those were the LAST two I got right. I did get whipped in Uno though.
Onto Tuesday. Mom and I walked the John W. Ringling Bridge, which connects the Sarasota mainland to St. Armand's Circle. It took 15 minutes each way and it is shaped like the top of a triangle, straight uphill and then straight downhill. Very good walk. We continued the walk into the circle for breakfast at the Blue Dolphin Cafe, a very small, popular neighborhood joint. They had killer French toast. The thick country bread tasted like it had been marinated in cinnamon and vanilla for days. Meanwhile, Dad read his latest book on the beach. We came back and drove east about an hour, arriving at Myakka River State Park. As we drove in, we noticed a flock of vultures flying around. I think Dad was already nervous by this point. But we took an airboat tour through a lake filled with alligators. Now the boat is covered with six seats out in front. In front of those seats is where the captain of the ship sits. Right in front of him are three more seats. And guess who got those three seats??? We sat and I immediately noticed the rail of the boat didn't even go past my shins. So if the boat tipped, well, it's been a good 27 years. The driver gave a very informative and entertaining tour, but where I was sitting, I could barely understand any of it. Anyway after about 15 minutes, we spotted the first gator. As they came a little closer, the driver seemed to slow the boat down. Two of them actually swam right by us. When I say right by us, I mean they were about one foot in front of the boat. It was a little crazy, but really interesting too. All in all, I would say we spotted about 20-25 gators. What was really cool was up in top of a tree, I saw a bald eagle for the first time. And later in the shop (where you can purchase gator stew, by the way), I got an acoustic guitar record and a new beaded necklace.
Then we drove over to the Nature Trail and Mom started leading us through the woods. I figured it was just a typical walk through the woods. Little did I know she had a scheme cooking. We came to this tall wooden tower, the kind you would expect to see a zip line. Instead, we climbed stairs to about 35-40 feet in the air. We then walked across an 85-foot long suspension bridge, one of the few in the US. Dad then headed back downstairs while Mom and I climbed to the top of the tower, 76 feet high. There may not have been any mountains in sight, but getting higher than treetops and being able to see so far away was sweet. And unexpected to boot.
We drove back to Siesta Key for lunch at the Lobster Pot. A very New Englandish seafood joint. Mom had her lobster roll, so that made her day. I almost tried this blueberry beer from Maine, but in the end, stuck with iced tea. I think by this time, we were pretty tired and needed to rest.
At this point, a few observations:
1) The highs have been around 70, the lows around 50. With the heavy winds on Lido, I need about 10 more degrees for what I would call reasonable beach weather.
2) I have never heard and seen so much John Denver. Between the radio, TV, and the highway signs! I think I'm not in Colorado, but now I don't know.
3) The radio stations are much better here than in Chicago.
4) I watched Wheel of Fortune. Next was Family Feud. The question was "Name someone famous whose last name is 'White.'" I never thought of Vanna. And Mom didn't think of Barry. That's embarrassing.
5) Watched DDD on the Food Network late one night. The show was about turkey. They actually highlights the Alpine Steakhouse in Sarasota! Their specialty is turducken, which includes duck, chicken, turkey and a cornbread stuffing. Unfortunately, I was the only one awake at the time. Needless to say, we never made it there.
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