Thursday, March 18, 2010
pork for passover
In honor of Passover and buzzer-beaters, I wanted to get in the most un-kosher meal I know before Pesach.
So last night I made pork cutlets. First step? Dip the raw pork in milk! Then dredge in flour and pan-fry it! Delicious.
So last night I made pork cutlets. First step? Dip the raw pork in milk! Then dredge in flour and pan-fry it! Delicious.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
picking seeds
Let's talk watermelons. No?
- - -
When I was younger, probably around high school, I didn't think there was much difference in the seeding for the big dance. I figured once you're in, you've got a shot to win. (And you could still make the argument that the reason the high seeds do well is because they're the better teams, and not because of their draw.)
But clearly whether you're Kentucky or Illinois this year, you want a favorable draw. Given the status of Illinois this year, I figured I'd take a look at what (reasonable) seed would be the best.
What I mean, is discounting the top 7 seeds, what seed would you want to be?
My starting point is that the 8/9 seeds are no good. Even if you manage to win the first game, you're on a collision course with the #1 seed.
By the same token, the #10 seed would face the #2 in the second round.
Of course, the #16 and #15 are even worse, facing those teams in the first round.
So let's take a look at the road to the sweet sixteen, for the 11-14 seeds.
11: vs #6, vs #3
12: vs #5, vs #4
13: vs #4, vs #5
14: vs #3, vs #6
Right away, I can eliminate the 14 seed, based on their first round matchup.
11-13 all look pretty good. As the #11, I don't mind potentially facing #3 in the second round, if I've already won a game. For #13, you could factor in the possibility that you're more likely to get a #12 in the second round. But still, I think there's a big distinction between the 4 seeds and the 5 seeds, and I'd prefer not to face the #4 in the first round.
So not only does #12 look good on paper, but you have the boost in confidence from being the traditional "upset" favorite in the first round.
So just numerically, here is my preference for best seeds in the bottom half of the bracket:
12
11
13
14
10
8
9
15
16
- - -
I could stop there, but what about the top 7 seeds?
Sure 1-3 is the best in order. But I'm not a big fan of being 4/5 because of facing #1 in the sweet sixteen.
1
2
3
6
4
5
7
- - -
I'd even rather be a #12, #11, and #13, than a #7.
(This post was written last Saturday during the Illinois-Ohio State game, but future posted after the auction date.)
- - -
When I was younger, probably around high school, I didn't think there was much difference in the seeding for the big dance. I figured once you're in, you've got a shot to win. (And you could still make the argument that the reason the high seeds do well is because they're the better teams, and not because of their draw.)
But clearly whether you're Kentucky or Illinois this year, you want a favorable draw. Given the status of Illinois this year, I figured I'd take a look at what (reasonable) seed would be the best.
What I mean, is discounting the top 7 seeds, what seed would you want to be?
My starting point is that the 8/9 seeds are no good. Even if you manage to win the first game, you're on a collision course with the #1 seed.
By the same token, the #10 seed would face the #2 in the second round.
Of course, the #16 and #15 are even worse, facing those teams in the first round.
So let's take a look at the road to the sweet sixteen, for the 11-14 seeds.
11: vs #6, vs #3
12: vs #5, vs #4
13: vs #4, vs #5
14: vs #3, vs #6
Right away, I can eliminate the 14 seed, based on their first round matchup.
11-13 all look pretty good. As the #11, I don't mind potentially facing #3 in the second round, if I've already won a game. For #13, you could factor in the possibility that you're more likely to get a #12 in the second round. But still, I think there's a big distinction between the 4 seeds and the 5 seeds, and I'd prefer not to face the #4 in the first round.
So not only does #12 look good on paper, but you have the boost in confidence from being the traditional "upset" favorite in the first round.
So just numerically, here is my preference for best seeds in the bottom half of the bracket:
12
11
13
14
10
8
9
15
16
- - -
I could stop there, but what about the top 7 seeds?
Sure 1-3 is the best in order. But I'm not a big fan of being 4/5 because of facing #1 in the sweet sixteen.
1
2
3
6
4
5
7
- - -
I'd even rather be a #12, #11, and #13, than a #7.
(This post was written last Saturday during the Illinois-Ohio State game, but future posted after the auction date.)
March Madness Eliminator!
Inspired by Simmons March Madness Podcast (part 3)...it's the Hoagie Central March Madness Eliminator!
Here's the gist: there are 10 days of basketball:
Round One: Thursday
Round One: Friday
Round Two: Saturday
Round Two: Sunday
Sweet Sixteen: Thursday
Sweet Sixteen: Friday
Elite Eight: Saturday
Elite Eight Sunday
Final Four: Saturday
Championship: Monday
All you have to do is pick a winner for each day. Of course, you can't pick a team more than once in the tournament. And you might run out of teams so you can't choose anyone.
Post your picks in the comments, and try not to read the comments until you make your pick.
Here's the gist: there are 10 days of basketball:
Round One: Thursday
Round One: Friday
Round Two: Saturday
Round Two: Sunday
Sweet Sixteen: Thursday
Sweet Sixteen: Friday
Elite Eight: Saturday
Elite Eight Sunday
Final Four: Saturday
Championship: Monday
All you have to do is pick a winner for each day. Of course, you can't pick a team more than once in the tournament. And you might run out of teams so you can't choose anyone.
Post your picks in the comments, and try not to read the comments until you make your pick.
calcutta big board
Here's who I ended up with:
Teams I Really Wanted But Didn't Get
Kansas
Baylor
Teams That I Got But Didn't Really Want
Kentucky
Texas A&M
New Mexico
Teams that I Really Wanted and Got
Kansas St.
Richmond
UTEP
Utah St.
I should clarify, the teams that I got but didn't really want, that was based on my thoughts coming into the auction. I was hoping to get Kansas, and then see about getting Kentucky. Once I didn't want to pay $10 for Kansas, I had to get Kentucky--I was sitting on $20. Also, I got good value for New Mexico and Texas A&M, so I don't regret them, they just weren't teams I thought about before the auction.
Ideally, I would have gotten KU, KSt and Baylor, and still had money for Richmond, and UTEP. But I just with KSU and Baylor still on the board, I couldn't spend half my budget on KU. Even though I think they're going to win it all. Now I just have to convince myself that their region is too tough.
It's all a crapshoot, but I like the 11's and 12's I got and feel like they should pay for themselves. And if it ends up being KU vs UK in the final, it's Mark vs. Dave for the umpteenth time.
Teams I Really Wanted But Didn't Get
Kansas
Baylor
Teams That I Got But Didn't Really Want
Kentucky
Texas A&M
New Mexico
Teams that I Really Wanted and Got
Kansas St.
Richmond
UTEP
Utah St.
I should clarify, the teams that I got but didn't really want, that was based on my thoughts coming into the auction. I was hoping to get Kansas, and then see about getting Kentucky. Once I didn't want to pay $10 for Kansas, I had to get Kentucky--I was sitting on $20. Also, I got good value for New Mexico and Texas A&M, so I don't regret them, they just weren't teams I thought about before the auction.
Ideally, I would have gotten KU, KSt and Baylor, and still had money for Richmond, and UTEP. But I just with KSU and Baylor still on the board, I couldn't spend half my budget on KU. Even though I think they're going to win it all. Now I just have to convince myself that their region is too tough.
It's all a crapshoot, but I like the 11's and 12's I got and feel like they should pay for themselves. And if it ends up being KU vs UK in the final, it's Mark vs. Dave for the umpteenth time.
Monday, March 15, 2010
HOW TO: make pizzeria-quality pizza at home
After my last go round, I entered my kitchen with confidence.
The first step is gathering all the ingredients. In order to do that I had to make a fresh batch of my all-purpose homemade pasta sauce which deserves a post of its own. (Sauteed onions and garlic, crushed tomatoes, sliced peppers, brown sugar, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, garlic powder.)
Then I grilled some fresh Italian Sausage, and grilled some peppers and onions. I cut up a 8 0z. ball of fresh mozzarella and spread out my dough. (The dough, like the sausage and cheese, was fresh from Trader Joe's.)
A little bit of olive oil on your fingers helps the dough from sticking and adds flavor at the same time.
On to assembly! As opposed to last time, I went with toppings under the cheese, allowing me to get the cheese brown and bubbly like I wanted. (I actually had to turn on the broiler for the last two minutes, but be careful, it doesn't take long at all to brown up.) And as soon as it came out, I used a spatula to brush olive oil on to the exposed outer crust.
In a word...superdelicious. The biggest hit was using the fresh, grilled Italian Sausage. It is fast moving up the ranks of my favorite meats. (One thing I wish I had discovered earlier...for years I had been buying pre-cooked brats and sausages. They taste good and they turn out good on the grill or in the microwave if you're in a hurry. But I discovered that they don't hold a candle compared to fresh sausages. Another tip: on the Foreman, put the curved side down. It will flatten out, allowing you to cook all sides evenly. If you start by just cooking on it's side, you'll never get it to go flat.
But even in bites where I wasn't getting the sausage, the sauce was always present with big flavor. The veggies provide a nice balance with the meat and cheese, for depth of flavor. And the cheese, the fresh mozz is so good that I don't even want to try using regular shredded cheese.
I suppose the weakest link in the chain is the crust, but it's actually pretty good. So I don't feel like messing around with other dough recipes that could be a disaster.
- - -
As I walking to work today, it occurred to me that baking the pizza itself is sort of a wonder. The fact that the same time and temperature you need to turn the dough into crust, is also the perfect time and temp for melting the cheese and heating the sauce, it's amazing really. Imagine if the sauce needed 20 minutes to heat up, the cheese burned in 10, and the dough wasn't perfect until 15. Or if the sauce was burning hot after more than 10 minutes, the dough started to burn after 15 minutes, but the cheese didn't melt until 20 minutes. That's terrible.
So of course the animation is cool, what about the details? Here's a hi-res shot of the finished product, that would beat out Papa John's and Domino's.
click for HD
The first step is gathering all the ingredients. In order to do that I had to make a fresh batch of my all-purpose homemade pasta sauce which deserves a post of its own. (Sauteed onions and garlic, crushed tomatoes, sliced peppers, brown sugar, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, garlic powder.)
Then I grilled some fresh Italian Sausage, and grilled some peppers and onions. I cut up a 8 0z. ball of fresh mozzarella and spread out my dough. (The dough, like the sausage and cheese, was fresh from Trader Joe's.)
A little bit of olive oil on your fingers helps the dough from sticking and adds flavor at the same time.
On to assembly! As opposed to last time, I went with toppings under the cheese, allowing me to get the cheese brown and bubbly like I wanted. (I actually had to turn on the broiler for the last two minutes, but be careful, it doesn't take long at all to brown up.) And as soon as it came out, I used a spatula to brush olive oil on to the exposed outer crust.
In a word...superdelicious. The biggest hit was using the fresh, grilled Italian Sausage. It is fast moving up the ranks of my favorite meats. (One thing I wish I had discovered earlier...for years I had been buying pre-cooked brats and sausages. They taste good and they turn out good on the grill or in the microwave if you're in a hurry. But I discovered that they don't hold a candle compared to fresh sausages. Another tip: on the Foreman, put the curved side down. It will flatten out, allowing you to cook all sides evenly. If you start by just cooking on it's side, you'll never get it to go flat.
But even in bites where I wasn't getting the sausage, the sauce was always present with big flavor. The veggies provide a nice balance with the meat and cheese, for depth of flavor. And the cheese, the fresh mozz is so good that I don't even want to try using regular shredded cheese.
I suppose the weakest link in the chain is the crust, but it's actually pretty good. So I don't feel like messing around with other dough recipes that could be a disaster.
- - -
As I walking to work today, it occurred to me that baking the pizza itself is sort of a wonder. The fact that the same time and temperature you need to turn the dough into crust, is also the perfect time and temp for melting the cheese and heating the sauce, it's amazing really. Imagine if the sauce needed 20 minutes to heat up, the cheese burned in 10, and the dough wasn't perfect until 15. Or if the sauce was burning hot after more than 10 minutes, the dough started to burn after 15 minutes, but the cheese didn't melt until 20 minutes. That's terrible.
So of course the animation is cool, what about the details? Here's a hi-res shot of the finished product, that would beat out Papa John's and Domino's.
click for HDSaturday, March 13, 2010
Names of City Stings, Grifts, Scams
List of stings named in the MacGuyver episode, "Twice Stung":
Philadelphia Flash
Toledo Twist
Boston Bang
Sacramento Switch
For years, I've been trying to remember these names, and all I could remember was the Seattle Sting. And it wasn't even one of them.
Also, these choice MacGuyver quotes:
"I had my heart set on the Boston Bang"
"We can out-bunco Mr. Bunco himself"
Philadelphia Flash
Toledo Twist
Boston Bang
Sacramento Switch
For years, I've been trying to remember these names, and all I could remember was the Seattle Sting. And it wasn't even one of them.
Also, these choice MacGuyver quotes:
"I had my heart set on the Boston Bang"
"We can out-bunco Mr. Bunco himself"
the essential macgyver
The nostalgia trip continues. Growing up, my favorite show was MacGyver. Middle school let out at 2:25, and I made it home by 3pm to watch MacGyver on USA, I believe.
My mom even gave me the final (7th) season on dvd a couple years ago. But even better than that, I've discovered that CBS has full episodes on youtube for free. Amazing. After going through the wikipedia article, I've got a list of episodes to watch.
Having just watched them again, they're as good as I remember. God these episodes are fantastic!
Countdown
Halloween Knights
Deathlock
The Human Factor
The Heist
Twice Stung
My mom even gave me the final (7th) season on dvd a couple years ago. But even better than that, I've discovered that CBS has full episodes on youtube for free. Amazing. After going through the wikipedia article, I've got a list of episodes to watch.
Having just watched them again, they're as good as I remember. God these episodes are fantastic!
Countdown
Halloween Knights
Deathlock
The Human Factor
The Heist
Twice Stung
Thursday, March 11, 2010
futbol 2010
UEFA Champions League update:
Arsenal, Man U, Lyon and Bayern Munich are through to the quarterfinals. Here are highlights from the Fiorentina-Munich second leg.
Munich led 2-1 after the first leg at home. Since the tiebreaker is away goals, here is the status of the aggregate during the second leg:
Fiorentina Goal (Fiorentina wins 2-2 on tiebreaker)
Fiorentina Goal (Fiorentina wins 3-2)
Munich Goal (Tie)
Fiorentina Goal (Fiorentina wins 4-3)
Munich Goal (Munich wins 4-4 on tiebreaker)
How interesting that after the first Italian goal, Fiorentina would have won, after each team scores again it's a tie, and after each team scores again, Munich wins.
Although Florence was my favorite city, I couldn't get past the purple. I bought an illegal knock-off Roma jersey because I thought it looked cool. (Also bought an Arsenal jersey later in London).
Last year Arsenal beat Roma on penalties in the round of 16. Arsenal would end up losing to those pigfuckers from Manchester in the semis. And this year Roma didn't make the tournament.
Arsenal, Man U, Lyon and Bayern Munich are through to the quarterfinals. Here are highlights from the Fiorentina-Munich second leg.
Munich led 2-1 after the first leg at home. Since the tiebreaker is away goals, here is the status of the aggregate during the second leg:
Fiorentina Goal (Fiorentina wins 2-2 on tiebreaker)
Fiorentina Goal (Fiorentina wins 3-2)
Munich Goal (Tie)
Fiorentina Goal (Fiorentina wins 4-3)
Munich Goal (Munich wins 4-4 on tiebreaker)
How interesting that after the first Italian goal, Fiorentina would have won, after each team scores again it's a tie, and after each team scores again, Munich wins.
Although Florence was my favorite city, I couldn't get past the purple. I bought an illegal knock-off Roma jersey because I thought it looked cool. (Also bought an Arsenal jersey later in London).
Last year Arsenal beat Roma on penalties in the round of 16. Arsenal would end up losing to those pigfuckers from Manchester in the semis. And this year Roma didn't make the tournament.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Friday, March 05, 2010
sports roundup
One of the reason the Winter Olympics were so great, was that it perfectly filled the gap between the end of the NFL and March Madness. Also, it's cold and there's nothing to do in February beside stay inside anyways. And the fact that every Winter event is compelling, while there's plenty of Summer events that aren't fun to watch.
March Madness
There's not much better than a good tournament. It doesn't matter who the teams are. And it's right around the corner.
Selection Sunday: March 14
First two rounds: March 18-21
Sweet 16/Elite 8: March 25-28
Final Four: April 3 and 5
Rugby
Crap, who knew the Six Nations tournament was already underway...I sorta knew there was going to be rugby in the spring but I didn't figure I had missed most of it.
What hurts it (aside from the lack of publicity) is that it's not a true tournament format. Instead it follows the Premier league and every team plays every team and they just go by standings. Of course you don't want to finish last and win the "wooden spoon." Seriously, check this out, this is one wooden spoon you don't want!
Last year, Ireland won going 5-0, while Italy went 0-5. This year with two games to go, France is 3-0, England is 2-1, and Ireland is 2-1.
If England wins it's next game, and Ireland can't get to 4-1, then the final match, England vs France on March 20th will determine the champion.
Here's a highlight from last year.
Soccer
In the Premier League, it's how it always is. 10 games to go, and Chelsea, Man U and Arsenal are all at the top. Again without a playoffs, it's hard to know when to pay attention. So I'm not.
In the more compelling UEFA Champions League, we're down to 16 teams, and they've already had the first leg of that round. The second leg is coming up on March 9,10,16,17.
Elite Eight: First Leg March 30/31, Second Leg April 6/7
Final Four: First Leg April 20/21, Second Leg April 27/28
Championship: May 22
Of course, it's all just a prelude to the World Cup, which goes from June 11 to July 11.
The U.S. kicks things off against England on June 12.
As for other sports, it's on my list to check out a curling club.
And here's a highlight reel of team handball:
March Madness
There's not much better than a good tournament. It doesn't matter who the teams are. And it's right around the corner.
Selection Sunday: March 14
First two rounds: March 18-21
Sweet 16/Elite 8: March 25-28
Final Four: April 3 and 5
Rugby
Crap, who knew the Six Nations tournament was already underway...I sorta knew there was going to be rugby in the spring but I didn't figure I had missed most of it.
What hurts it (aside from the lack of publicity) is that it's not a true tournament format. Instead it follows the Premier league and every team plays every team and they just go by standings. Of course you don't want to finish last and win the "wooden spoon." Seriously, check this out, this is one wooden spoon you don't want!
Last year, Ireland won going 5-0, while Italy went 0-5. This year with two games to go, France is 3-0, England is 2-1, and Ireland is 2-1.
If England wins it's next game, and Ireland can't get to 4-1, then the final match, England vs France on March 20th will determine the champion.
Here's a highlight from last year.
Soccer
In the Premier League, it's how it always is. 10 games to go, and Chelsea, Man U and Arsenal are all at the top. Again without a playoffs, it's hard to know when to pay attention. So I'm not.
In the more compelling UEFA Champions League, we're down to 16 teams, and they've already had the first leg of that round. The second leg is coming up on March 9,10,16,17.
Elite Eight: First Leg March 30/31, Second Leg April 6/7
Final Four: First Leg April 20/21, Second Leg April 27/28
Championship: May 22
Of course, it's all just a prelude to the World Cup, which goes from June 11 to July 11.
The U.S. kicks things off against England on June 12.
As for other sports, it's on my list to check out a curling club.
And here's a highlight reel of team handball:
2010 census: favorite foods
Yesterday Mrs. Hoagie Central surprised me by making a deluxe, 4-course meal and having it hot and ready when I got home.
First Course:
Super 4-cheese garlic bread: Provolone, asiago, parmesan, and romano + olive oil, butter and lots of garlic = delicious.
Second & Third Course:
A fresh, Stockman & Dakota porterhouse (my favorite cut of steak), that was probably a good 10 ounces. Plus, my favorite greek-style potatoes, made with lemon juice and LOTS of garlic.
Fourth Course:
Not one but two desserts: a homemade chocolate mousse pie with whipped cream and a butterfinger/dark reeses candy topping. And a double fudge pan of brownies. I didn't even get to the brownies really, everything else was so good and filling.
Plus, she got Sprecher root beer, something I saw in Wisconsin and didn't get and figured that I missed my chance. (Rated #1 by NYTimes according to its label and it was damn good.)
Of course the way to my heart is through my stomach.
- - -
During the meal she told me that the hardest part was coming up with the menu. She wanted me to make a post with my favorite meals, so that if she ever wanted to do this again, she'd know what to make.
Here goes.
First off, there are the things that don't require or can't really be done at home: picking up a slab of ribs, or rib tips (aka pork burnt ends) from a barbecue place. My favorite Chicago carryout order is the Italian Beef / Italian Sausage combo sandwich with hot peppers (Johnny's, Portillo's, Al's, Buona, it doesn't matter.) Of course you can't go wrong with a sausage deep dish from Edwardo's or if that's not feasible, how about a Hawaiian? (pineapple, ham and bacon from Dominos or wherever is a winner. If you're limited to two toppings: pineapple, and then half-bacon, half-ham!)
And packaged things from the grocery store: Hot & Spicy Cheez-its, Kettle brand chips (NY Cheddar or Yogurt/Sour Cream & Onion), Mint Milano cookies, and Snyder Jalepeno Cheddar Pumpernickel Pretzel bits if you can find them (weren't at my local Jewel).
For appetizers, I love garlic bread. Also, "pigs in a blanket": lil smokies rolled up inside crescent rolls baked in the oven. Also, meatballs in BBQ sauce. Oh yeah, good cheese on crackers: like Black Diamond brand Aged White Cheddar. Oooh, Tostitos with Lime, paired with sour cream and salsa.
For side dishes, love those greek-style potatoes. Also, cheesy au gratin potatoes remind me of childhood. A healthier option is oven fries (20 minutes at 450) or a simpler option is TJ's sweet potato fries.
For main courses, it's hard to go wrong with steak. A burger on sourdough is nice (any way to get more sourdough bread inside me is always good). Italian sausages on the grill are good. And I like fajitas, especially with the full-out sour cream, Pace Picante, and guacamole. As for options that could be vegetarian, I'd enjoy homemade baked enchiladas, or lasagna (no-boil noodles make it simpler) or homemade pizza with fresh mozz and peppers, although you do need to make the homemade sauce, so it's only good if that's already made.
And then dessert. Anything with chocolate is a winner. Brownies with chocolate chips (I like them in a 9x13 pan), mousse pie with candy topping, chocolate chip or pecan pie. Dutch apple pie is good too.
To sum up, I want to weigh 4,000 pounds.
First Course:
Super 4-cheese garlic bread: Provolone, asiago, parmesan, and romano + olive oil, butter and lots of garlic = delicious.
Second & Third Course:
A fresh, Stockman & Dakota porterhouse (my favorite cut of steak), that was probably a good 10 ounces. Plus, my favorite greek-style potatoes, made with lemon juice and LOTS of garlic.
Fourth Course:
Not one but two desserts: a homemade chocolate mousse pie with whipped cream and a butterfinger/dark reeses candy topping. And a double fudge pan of brownies. I didn't even get to the brownies really, everything else was so good and filling.
Plus, she got Sprecher root beer, something I saw in Wisconsin and didn't get and figured that I missed my chance. (Rated #1 by NYTimes according to its label and it was damn good.)
Of course the way to my heart is through my stomach.
- - -
During the meal she told me that the hardest part was coming up with the menu. She wanted me to make a post with my favorite meals, so that if she ever wanted to do this again, she'd know what to make.
Here goes.
First off, there are the things that don't require or can't really be done at home: picking up a slab of ribs, or rib tips (aka pork burnt ends) from a barbecue place. My favorite Chicago carryout order is the Italian Beef / Italian Sausage combo sandwich with hot peppers (Johnny's, Portillo's, Al's, Buona, it doesn't matter.) Of course you can't go wrong with a sausage deep dish from Edwardo's or if that's not feasible, how about a Hawaiian? (pineapple, ham and bacon from Dominos or wherever is a winner. If you're limited to two toppings: pineapple, and then half-bacon, half-ham!)
And packaged things from the grocery store: Hot & Spicy Cheez-its, Kettle brand chips (NY Cheddar or Yogurt/Sour Cream & Onion), Mint Milano cookies, and Snyder Jalepeno Cheddar Pumpernickel Pretzel bits if you can find them (weren't at my local Jewel).
For appetizers, I love garlic bread. Also, "pigs in a blanket": lil smokies rolled up inside crescent rolls baked in the oven. Also, meatballs in BBQ sauce. Oh yeah, good cheese on crackers: like Black Diamond brand Aged White Cheddar. Oooh, Tostitos with Lime, paired with sour cream and salsa.
For side dishes, love those greek-style potatoes. Also, cheesy au gratin potatoes remind me of childhood. A healthier option is oven fries (20 minutes at 450) or a simpler option is TJ's sweet potato fries.
For main courses, it's hard to go wrong with steak. A burger on sourdough is nice (any way to get more sourdough bread inside me is always good). Italian sausages on the grill are good. And I like fajitas, especially with the full-out sour cream, Pace Picante, and guacamole. As for options that could be vegetarian, I'd enjoy homemade baked enchiladas, or lasagna (no-boil noodles make it simpler) or homemade pizza with fresh mozz and peppers, although you do need to make the homemade sauce, so it's only good if that's already made.
And then dessert. Anything with chocolate is a winner. Brownies with chocolate chips (I like them in a 9x13 pan), mousse pie with candy topping, chocolate chip or pecan pie. Dutch apple pie is good too.
To sum up, I want to weigh 4,000 pounds.
Thursday, March 04, 2010
the internet is becoming self-aware
Hulu is amazing. Just by hosting content, it can tag it with appropriate search terms!
And then you can click on these new-fangled "tags" and find everything that matches. It's amazing.
And then you can click on these new-fangled "tags" and find everything that matches. It's amazing.
Outrage
The NFL has announced, among other things, that they are no longer creating new Super Bowl logos every year, and instead have a new "logo system" that will be used for eternity.
Boo. The old logos were great. They showed the personality of the host city and are a neat time capsule of how far we've come in terms of graphic design. I love how they used the pylon in XLI.
But more than just taking away the variety, they've take one step closer to a dystopian future, like that of Minority Report. I mean, everything has to be uniform, and the only color in the logo is brushed silver. Boo. I can't wait until there's only one choice at the concession stands and we're wearing our metallic jumpsuits. What's next? Changing the shape of the classic hot dog? Ha!
And what does Uni Watch have to say? "I plead indifference." What a bitch.
Boo. The old logos were great. They showed the personality of the host city and are a neat time capsule of how far we've come in terms of graphic design. I love how they used the pylon in XLI.
But more than just taking away the variety, they've take one step closer to a dystopian future, like that of Minority Report. I mean, everything has to be uniform, and the only color in the logo is brushed silver. Boo. I can't wait until there's only one choice at the concession stands and we're wearing our metallic jumpsuits. What's next? Changing the shape of the classic hot dog? Ha!
And what does Uni Watch have to say? "I plead indifference." What a bitch.
Monday, March 01, 2010
live music
I was thinking about concerts. And since I just listed my top 20 bands, I wanted to make a record of which ones I've seen in concert. The only change in ranking since the census, is that I've moved Vampire Weekend into the top 10 after listening to their second album, bumping Sublime.
311 - Peoria, St. Louis, Champaign, Chicago Warped Tour
Alkaline Trio - St. Louis Warped Tour, Champaign
Brand New - no
Dashboard Confessional - St. Louis, Chicago, Champaign
The Hold Steady - Chicago
Motion City Soundtrack - Bloomington, Chicago
Ozma - no
Panic at the Disco - no
Vampire Weekend - no
Weezer - Bloomington
6/10 not too bad
Sublime - no
The Get Up Kids - no
The Strokes - no
The Stereo - Champaign
The Impossibles - Champaign
The Anniversary - St. Louis
Forever the Sickest Kids - no
The Juliana Theory - no
Jimmy Eat World - Bloomington
Cartel - no
10/20.
Of course, this list excludes all the other bands that I've seen live: New Found Glory, Hey Mercedes, and the huge lists that I saw at Warped Tours including Reel Big Fish, and way too many that I'm forgetting.
311 - Peoria, St. Louis, Champaign, Chicago Warped Tour
Alkaline Trio - St. Louis Warped Tour, Champaign
Brand New - no
Dashboard Confessional - St. Louis, Chicago, Champaign
The Hold Steady - Chicago
Motion City Soundtrack - Bloomington, Chicago
Ozma - no
Panic at the Disco - no
Vampire Weekend - no
Weezer - Bloomington
6/10 not too bad
Sublime - no
The Get Up Kids - no
The Strokes - no
The Stereo - Champaign
The Impossibles - Champaign
The Anniversary - St. Louis
Forever the Sickest Kids - no
The Juliana Theory - no
Jimmy Eat World - Bloomington
Cartel - no
10/20.
Of course, this list excludes all the other bands that I've seen live: New Found Glory, Hey Mercedes, and the huge lists that I saw at Warped Tours including Reel Big Fish, and way too many that I'm forgetting.
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