Colorado Sky

I've seen better sunset and sunrises in a year in Colorado than I have the rest of my life. Maybe Colorado's not the best in the world...maybe the midwest is just dreary.

Anyways, about two months ago I put our point & shoot in my car. Here are some shots that I happened to catch while getting groceries and driving to curling.

This next shot features downtown Denver in the distance and the Rockies beyond that.

nhl 11 screenshots

My current go-to free time activity is playing though the GM mode on NHL 11. I took over the Avalanche and made some free agent signings and trades to make the best team I could. 

Here's my first line center getting a hat trick in the final two minutes of the game. It was 2-2 with two minutes to go and Marleau breaks the tie, adds another, and then gets the empty netter. 

And then this just happened last night. My team is something like 64-8-1 as the season winds down. I clinched the 1st seed before any other teams clinched a playoff spot. So I was pretty surprised when the Maple Leafs came in to my building and got up 5-0 on me, the largest deficit I'd ever faced. 

I managed to get three in the second period, including a Duchene goal with 26 seconds left in the period.

With 9 minutes to go, I tied the game. And got the game winner with a shorthanded goal with 6 to play. 6-5 win.

nuggs

Don't have TNT so I can't watch the Nuggets game 7 tonight. Which will bring my Nugget live game total for the year to...zero.

So I haven't jumped on the Nuggets bandwagon. But I don't have any other NBA teams so it would be nice to see Denver advance.

MCA

Not only did MCA rap, but he directed all of these videos under the best pseudonym ever: Nathanial Hörnblowér. When I was 14 the Beastie Boys were the coolest thing ever. They still kinda are.

a wunderstrike!

When this gets taken down you can see it here.

Denver BBQ Recap Update

In the last few months I've been to three more barbecue places in Denver. I've been writing full reviews on yelp, since that's where I've been doing all my restaurant reviews. But I wanted to update the full BBQ record. I've linked to my yelp reviews.

Brothers, carryout, Greenwood Village (2/18/12): B
Boney's, eat-in, Denver (3/9/12): B+
Yazoo, eat-in, Denver (4/12/12): A-

Notably, Yazoo raised their grade by a full letter since last year.

For The Record:
Gates, eat-in, Overland Park (11/22/10): A+
Arthur Bryant's, eat-in, Kansas City (4/21/10): A+
Gates, eat-in, Overland Park (2/13/09): A+
Jack Stack, eat-in, Overland Park (11/21/10): A
Jack Stack, carryout, Overland Park (10/6/07): A
Gates, stadium, Arrowhead (10/7/07): A
Yazoo, eat-in, Denver (4/12/12): A-
Concessions, eat-in, Arrowhead (11/21/10): A-

Gates, eat-in, Kansas City, Kansas (6/4/11): A-

Jabo's, eat-in, Denver, (12/1/10) A-
Oklahoma Joe's, eat-in, Overland Park (10/6/07): A-
Oklahoma Joe's, eat-in, Kansas City (4/23/10): A-
Corky's, eat-in, Memphis (5/24/08): A-
Carsons, eat-in, Chicago (2/7/09): A-
Jack Stack, carryout, Overland Park (2/13/09): A-
Smokehouse BBQ, eat-in, Overland Park (2/14/09): A-
Boney's, eat-in, Denver (3/9/12): B+
Zarda: eat-in, Blue Springs (6/10/11): B+
Smoke Daddy, eat-in, Chicago (5/23/09): B+
Rum Boogie Cafe, eat-in, Memphis (5/25/08): B+
Brothers, carryout, Greenwood Village (2/18/12): B

Neely's, eat-in, Memphis (5/25/08): B

Yazoo, eat-in, Greenwood Village (6/9/11): B-
Famous Dave's, eat-in, Peoria (11/26/10) B-
LC's, eat-in, Kansas City (4/24/10): B-
Blues City Cafe, eat-in, Memphis (5/24/08): C

the rich get richer

Outside of the top six picks, the two guys I heard the most about were DeCastro and Hightower. They go to the Steelers and Pats at 24 and 25. Seriously?

P.S. No Chiefs fans like the Poe pick.

NFL Draft and Game 7 are 1.2 miles apart

it's pretty sad when 8 out of 9 teams in a league make the playoffs

I suppose it's even sadder for the Washington Stealth.

It's pretty easy to guess Chevy's favorite hockey team. 

easy pizza

After making two pizzas this year by making dough from scratch, I was in the mood for a homemade pizza but without the work. Pillsbury dough, a smidge of Newman's garlic pasta sauce, a thin layer of colby jack on the bottom, pepperoni, mozz on top, and a mozz stick for a stuffed crust. Turned out great on the pizza stone. Quick and easy and delicious.

it's all about the cup

My entire life I've wondered how they continually fit new teams and what would happen if they ran out of room.

a good walk spoiled: part seven

Here's a recap of my golf outings in the modern era:

August 14, 2005: +15 on a par 3
August 27, 2005: +9 on a par 3
July 3, 2009: +17 on a par 3
July 3, 2010: +22 on a par 3
July 5, 2010: +22 on a normal 9-hole course
October 3, 2010: +23 on a normal 9-hole course
October 16, 2011: +17 on a par 3

A few takeaways:

• I've only played 9 holes at a time
• I'm not that much worse on a normal course vs a par 3 course
• My best rounds were the first two I had played since before college
• July 3 was the earliest I had ever golfed in a year
• I skipped three years entirely
• I only have golfed at least three times in a year in 2010

The weather's been great here for a while (it never really got too cold anyways) so golf had been on my mind for over a month. And now that I'm a dad (and curling is over) I really appreciate any time that I'm not working or taking care of H.

H woke up today at 6:30. Not only is that a good hour earlier, that means he's crabby because he didn't sleep enough. So I got up with him and tried to do some great parenting from the couch.

Anyways, by noon I was ready to hit the links.

I kept track of my swings and putts just for fun.

On the first hole I had a putt for par, after a decent chip. I missed my par putt by an inch but thought it was a good start. Of course it was only a 72-yard hole.

A good drive on the second hole. And it felt good on the third, but was a little strong and a little left, finding some deep grass. I opted to take a penalty drop, had a good chip and a one put to save bogey.

The fourth hole was my only disaster. Sliced my 7-iron tee shot and never found it. I was in the green in four, but it was a huge green and I was left with a super long putt. I left it short and that led to a four-putt. Yikes.

I hit a beauty on the fifth. 150-yards with my five iron, just shy of the green. It was a tough pin placement though, on the very near side. My chip came up a bit short on the fringe and it wasn't a realistic putt for par.

Another tee shot that felt good on the sixth, though it was a bit left.

My shot of the day came on hole 7. I hit a 7-iron perfectly. High, good distance, as soon as it left my club I knew it was going on the green. I left myself a 15-20 foot putt and I was only thinking two putt. Get my par and get out. It was slightly up hill and I left it shorter than I wanted. Still I think it was probably a four or five putt for par. Totally makeable. And I pushed it wide by an inch. And then in frustration, pushed it wide coming back down the hill. Wasted my best shot.

My shot on the 8th also found the green, but it was uglier, more of a line drive that rolled up there. After a decent first putt, I had a four footer for par. And I missed that one too.

My last chance for par came on the last hole. It was a 10-footer and I went for it. Of course wide and hard and I left myself a tough 6 or 7 footer coming back. I actually made that one, my best putt of the day.

I actually walked away feeling like I played really well. I think that tee shots affect your feelings more than putts, but putts affect your scores just as much. Only one bad tee shot all day. Another was ugly but landed on the green anyways.

I know I can't chip for shit, and today my putting was just as bad.

Still, good to get out. See some mountains, walk some fairways.

Rare Soda Reviews

Loyal listeners (and I know they're not listeners) may remember this post from July 2011.

So when I was dropping something off at the UPS Store and noticed right next door a shop called Rocket Fizz: Soda Pop and Candy Shop I had no choice.

They easily had over 100 soda varieties, all in single glass bottles ready to mix and match. Most of which I've never heard of.

So I made my own six pack for 10 bucks and brought them home with a smile on my face. Here's the breakdown.

(After being a MATES viewer for over a year, I've had time to ruminate on the rating system. And really for me, the simplest rating is would you buy it again. Faced with hundreds of options, would you add it to your cart once more?)

I'll go from best to worst.

Sprecher Cherry Cola

The Jewel in Oak Park carried Sprecher Root Beer and we had it a couple times. So I already knew that Sprecher meant business. And this cherry cola was right on. Full-bodied. Nice real cherry flavor. Would buy again.

Boylan's Black Cherry

Boylan's is fairly popular at restaurants out here. I even saw a Boylan's fountain soda dispenser at Biker Jim's Hot Dogs. Their root beer is outstanding, their cola isn't very good. Their black cherry is closer to the quality of their root beer. Would buy again.

Jackson Hole Soda Snake River Sarsaparilla

I don't know that I've ever really had a sarsaparilla before. Even though Burnsy and were googling it while in Meijer some 7 years ago. It's very similar to root beer but with an extra kick. I don't know if I can generalize to all sarsaparillas, but I didn't quite love it. It wasn't awful. But with so many good root beers out there, I don't see the need to seek out a sarsaparilla. Wouldn't buy again.

Americana Honey Cream

I love cream sodas. This one had an extra mystery flavor and it wasn't honey. We couldn't figure out what it was. We drank it all but it's not up to the cream soda par. Wouldn't buy again.

Moxie

The bottle proclaims a birth date of 1884, that it's the original elixir, and Distinctively Different. All of those are true. When I was in the store they were filming a commercial. And Moxie was the soda they were using as the feature pour. So I figured I'd give it a shot. After I purchased I read some youtube reviews and saw that mostly people hated it, citing a medicinal quality. I'd say it tastes like 40% cola, 35% root beer and 25% NyQuil. If I time traveled to 1884 and it was my only option, I'd drink it. But in 2012, I wouldn't buy again.

Simpson Spring Lemon Lime

I picked this one because the soda was bright green, like I'd never seen before. Turns out that's a terrible way to pick a soda. It tasted awful. Easily the worst of the group. Brittany only had one sip. I could only handle three. Poured the rest out. No one should ever buy this.

Conclusion

I'm a little surprised at the outcome based on my previous experience with smaller soda companies. Maybe I should do some homework before I venture into the rare soda game.

nbc's favorite teams

There are 8 hockey playoff games this weekend, representing all 7 active series.

3 of the 8 are on NBC, the only channel of the options that I get.

Here are the three games I have the opportunity to watch:

Penguins-Flyers
Bruins-Caps
Bruins-Caps