Just a place to babble for this 40+ (groan) year old guy who likes to cook, garden, be a nerd on the computer, watch too much TV and movies, and yes, still read comic books! Do ya play MMORPGs? Especially Champions Online right now? If so, lemme know!
(Hopefully you realize that's a take off've the old Muppets Show "Pigs in Space!"?)
Check out what they found on Saturn's top side! Or rather, they found it there 26 years ago when Voyager cruised on by, and it's still going strong, thanks to new imaging by Cassini. While the bottomside of Saturn has a huge human-eye-like feature that resembles a hurricane, this something totally different. It's the only hexagonal storm feature found on any planet so far, and you could fit four Earths into this thing!
For more info, read the rest of the article (where you'll also find a link to a brief video of the hexagon-shaped cloud structure)!
...and growies are coming outta the ground! I only wish I'd been more careful with making sure the focus was better for the flowers instead of the surrounding green leaves. Oops! Oh well - enjoy!
Here's the finished result - this braided bread tastes GREAT! Sadly, it turned out a tad flat, and so won't be the best sandwich bread (plus the three flavors sometimes separate while cutting), but it's got great flavor and texture. Start with one very soppy starter batter/dough, split into three, and then add different stuff to each. The additives include molasses, caraway seeds, whol wheat flour, rye flour, and corn meal. You end up with a cornmeal "white" bread, a whole wheat bread, and a dark rye/pumpernickel. Good stuff! Next time I'd be tempted to divide it to make three loaves instead of two, and put them in loaf pans. Wonder if that would work?
Well, ok, maybe I do, but a big chunk of that problem is WHERE AM I GOING TO PLANT ALL THESE SEEDS!?!?
I've got all these seeds to plant, and no yard. We ALMOST had a great yard for gardening, and a nice deck for plants, etc... But that kinda fell through. So now I'm possibly back to having a rental garden plot. Plus, with not knowing when someone might come to look at the place, I've held off on starting this year's seeds, and some things just won't get grown afterall this year I guess. :(
Here's me sorting out all the seed packs so I can get started... I meant to have fewer varieties than the 13 or so I had last year. Seems I still managed to order 12 varieties this year, and then the seed companies tossed in a couple freebie packs of other varieties. Greeeeat...
Here's Simon trying to help.
"Um, I think you have a problem..."
First tray of Jiffy peat pots starting to swell after dumping water in with them. These things are great for starting seeds!
The after and before shots of a Jiffy peat pot. Insert dirty "swelling" jokes here...
Another shot of the fully hydrated Jiffys.
"Seriously dad, you've got a problem... The first step is admitting it..."
I'm not sure if I'm starting tomatoes or Nerds candy plants! What's with the blue coating on just this one variety of tomatoes!? I've seen pink coatings on watermelon and corn seeds before - either as a marker (male vs female) or perhaps an innoculant? But why on one out of fourteen varieties of tomatoes? Interesting! (Seriously - they look like blueberry candy!)
Annnnnd....wrapping up the first tray of seeds - this one's tomatoes, peppers (only four varities this year - we really don't eat that many, and I need to scale down!), fennel (never grown before), dill and catnip. I filled another one of these trays with JUST two varieties of parsley and like six varieties of basil! Ahhhhh...as much as I'm dreading winter's passing, I'm also looking forward to summer!
This was a buuuuusy weekend - we first had to keep moving just so we didn't think too much about losing the house we put an offer in on to someone with a non-contingent offer (buying and selling homes at the same time SUCKS!). Then we had to get busy with cleaning and organizing when, after starting multiple projects, we found someone was going to come looking at our place early Monday morning! AHHH!
Before we found out someone was coming to see the place, I was juggling a kitchen project and another project at the dining room table, while Brett worked on installing the new mount to the new entertainment center for the new LCD TV (Sony Bravia 40"! Nice!). Here you can see that Simon really wanted to help!
Ok, I don't want to give it away just yet - but I DO want to say that I FORGOT to take pictures before putting them in their greased bowls, so I removed them for their photo shoot. AND I think I've been getting a little heavy handed with the oil I've poured in for the "lightly greased bowl", so I need to go back to just using some cooking spray, or a dab of Crisco, or a bowl rubbed down with an oiled paper towel maybe?
You can blame my dad for sending along the link to this culinary challenge. And no, that's not the kitchen of anyone I know in the photo below.
"What is it?" you may ask... Well, it's a bacon-wrapped, cheese-filled, battered and fried hot dog. MMMM tasty! And I know at least one person who'd try one of these things and probably love it! (He's upstairs brushing his teeth and getting ready for bed right now).
I have to admit - I'd TRY one! I'd feel some major guilt about eating a whole one...but knowing me, I'd enjoy it!
If you watched last nite's American Idol, saw Blake Lewis' performance, and didn't feel a little tingle inside, there's something wrong with ya... This guy is definitely Top 4 material - and could be higher if it's not him vs the divas of Lakisha, Melinda and Jordin!
Plus Brett and I just want him for our own. Granted, we'd also take Chris, but somehow Chris was in the bottom two tonite. I'm glad he didn't go home. I'm guessing maybe it was the wake up call for Chris' fans to make sure they're calling in!
Tonite's dinner came together amazingly fast. Got a pot of water boiling while taking care of something else. Threw some pasta in the boiling water. Minutes later threw in some frozen shelled edamame (mm!). In a separate pan I started frying up some diced pancetta...something I'd only tried once before, and was inspired to give another try thanks to a recent Nigella Bites (or Feasts, I forget which one it is now...). While that was sizzling way I carved a bunch of chunks of breast meat from last nite's roasted chicken (that's another story all unto itself!). Just for extra fun I put a couple pats of butter in with the pancetta, then added the chicken to warm up, seasoned with fresh cracked black pepper, then tossed in the drained pasta/edamame (wish I would've thought to add some fresh minced parsley and crushed red pepper!). Scooped into bowls, and grated on some parmesian cheese.
Mmmm - that was a good dinner!! Oh wait, what's that peeking in from off camera here?
Yuuuuumm-oh! Cinnamon swirl bread! And it's really good toasted, and also really good with some simple powdered sugar/milk/vanilla icing drizzled on the slices. MMM! I MIGHT even try buttering and frying a slice sometime - I know Eat N Park has the "Grilled Stickies" (haven't eaten there in yeeeears though).
Now if I could just figure out why my coils have a habit of separating. Maybe a little more butter inside to gel them together? Or less butter so the dough fuses with itself? This might involve a little research!
I actually managed to get Brett to pose with Simon. The first one looks a little awkward, but then again, Simon's a little slow....so I don't think he minded the not-so-complementary pose! ;-)
There we go - this one's a little more like it!
And after all that hard work posing for pics, Brett needed a nap. He konked out on the sofa for awhile...
Oh Great Fido - I present to you this tastey morsel in the hopes that you will guarantee us plentiful crops this season!
(As uncomfortable as this looks, Tucker LOVES having this done to him! Seriously! Brett hoists him up like this, and Tucker starts purring and knitting his paws...pure kitty pleasure!)
It's 6:20pm Saturday, March 17th. (Oh, Happy St Patties Day! I totally forgot til Brett pointed out all the people wearing green while we were lunching at Chick Fil A today)
Anyhow - it's 6:21pm Saturday, March 17th. I smell good and doughy (no, it's not extra winter weight, NOR because I ate most of a 5-serving package of Brach's Pastel Fiesta Malted Milk Eggs yesterday) - that would be "I feel doughy". (Ok, I confess...I do. A little. Go ahead Peter, tell me to get to the gym - I know I need to!)
Where was I? Oh. It's 6:22pm Saturday, March 17th, I smell doughy, and I'm afraid Moxie does too. I can't help it she came in and gave me some loving when I wanted to start blogging. I think that, no matter how much you wash your hands when you're done in the kitchen, dough making is one of those things that lingers with you for hours - just because you work the dough with your hands so much.
6:25pm. Saturday. Easily distracted by other topics, I meant to tell you why myself, the cat, and the kitchen smell so good. In addition to that great dough/yeast smell, there's also hints of sugar, melted butter, and cinnamon!
Here's a hint at what's rising in the kitchen:
They were supposed to be a one-evening event, but after making the dough last nite, I decided World of Warcraft was more fun....so I parked the big bowl of dough in the freezing garage. This morning, instead of getting up and completing the doughy project, Brett drug me off to Canton's Best Buy (45 minutes away), first bribing me with Chick Fil A. We exchanged the Samsung LCD TV, which was having a lot of "light leakage" in the lower right corner (as confirmed by a Best Buy tech that came out to the condo last week), for the Sony Bravia - both TVs are 40", both 1080p, so the quality should be good, and we should be happy with our purchase considering what it costs! Since we weren't happy, and the tech even said this has happened with a lot of the Samsungs, we took his recommendation and swapped to the Sony, which conveniently enough, dropped a couple hundred in price since we first bought the Samsung! Sweet!
And what was really funny was the girl doing our exchange writing down "TV leaks" as the reason for our exchange. It's not like we poured water into it!
Our new baby! And tonite, if we're not playing World of Warcraft, maybe we'll be watching something cool on the new TV while snacking on ....well, I don't want to say what they are. But they DO need to go in the oven any minute now (assuming they've risen enough!)
And assuming they turn out good, you know I'll post pics! ;-)
I had an old hand-me-down on loan for years, and then treated myself to a nice new red one this past fall. LOOOOVED it when it arrived! I realized, once I was getting into all the bread baking, that maybe I really honestly should've gone with the professional level, instead of the artisan. I never thought I'd need that capacity or horse power. Oh well, I could certainly live with it - it definitely does the job, and I've only maxxed it's bowl out a couple times.
But I'm really concerned. It grinds. ALOT. It's surprisingly noisy, and the top, even when locked in place, bobbles around alot - and not just for heavy duty bread mixing, but even lighter-fare stuff like cake batters.
I got it online, and it's been mooonths now, so it's not like I can take it to a store and exchange it. I wonder if I should contact KitchenAid? I just know I've heard the newer ones made aren't AS good as the original line - company buyouts and that sort of thing?
One of the nice things about working from home occasionally, which can get very monotonous without human interaction, is the chance to do a little bread baking. I'm finding bread baking is both a very needy (no pun intended) AND a very "leave me alone!" kinda thing... Sure, you've got to mix together the ingredients, and let the KitchenAid do all the work of kneading them when you don't have much time, but then you just...let...it...sit. Then come back to it, punch it down, and let...it...sit. Come back, punch it down again, shape, put in/on pans, and let...it...sit. Then bake for quite awhile (again, you don't need to supervise this part!).
So - Brett came come home from work on a day I've worked from home, and find some nice bread fresh from the oven!
This week was no exception - I finally tried the Recipes from the Old Mill French bread recipe that Julie highly recommended I make. I have to say that, while it's SHAPED like French bread, I don't know that I'd really classify the taste/texture as the French bread I know. (Listen to me, acting like I know all about breads!) If I could compare it to something, I'd say it's very similar to Subway's wheat bread used for their sub sandwiches. (This is a good thing, as that's one of my fave breads there) It's a nice tender and wheaty bread... Julie swears it freezes well too, so I cut the two loaves in half, and froze three of the half loaves. We'll see how it turns out!
Here's some posing of the ingredients... As you can see, it's a very happy mixture of yeast, water and sugar!
Turn my back for a couple of minutes and OH SHIT!
Luckily there was very little of the yeasty water that went over the edge - mostly just foam, and not as much as it looked like being wasted! A little while later, after mixing the ingredients together and letting the dough rise, here's what I had.
Annnnd the rolling out flat and then rolling up "like a scroll" technique from the book...
Placing on lightly oiled and dusted (heavily in this case!) with cornmeal cookie sheet... (And this means I can't cook these directly on the baking stone, which crisps up bread nicely!)
Positioned, lightly topped with egg wash, and sliced....
...and finally baked:
These guys had a beautiful golden/bronze color! Very tender! And great taste! MMM!
Not that I'm counting down or anything... ;-) This'll help me figure out when I need to start getting seeds started....ASSUMING I'll have somewhere to plant them! (Still doing the house hunting/negotiating thing)
Ugh, this is SO not my kinda week. Look at that forecast. Give me warm sunny days, or blizzards blanketing everything in white and shutting down roads ANY day. But chilly drizzly weather? That's such a downer! :(
As mentioned here before, I turned 38 last Sunday. Mom and dad opted to spend my birthday in Cancun - great way to celebrate it! ;-) Actually, MOM'S birthday was Wednesday (#61!), and they've started going to Cancun every year or two around this time (something about mom needing sand and ocean after getting sick of the Rochester snow storms).
Anyhow, they got home last night, and dad posted a bunch of pictures from their trip. How cool are these two pictures?!!?
Before I start rambling here, let me just say I had NO intentions of watching American Idol this season. We watched the first season, and then the last two seasons. For each of those seasons we actually went and saw the concerts in Cleveland, and really enjoyed ourselves. But I didn't want to get hooked on another year of Idol. Guess I don't have much will power. So far this season isn't as fun as last season was - no crazy Taylors, no Elliotts to grab your heart strings with their sad stories, no whacked out Kellies, no mumblers-turned-country-singers like Bucky... It's definitely more humdrum, with just a little scandle and that's about it. We'll have to see how it goes in the upcoming weeks. Now - let the rambling begin...
Amy Krebs: I liked Amy. She was the first girl of the top 24 to get voted out. I'm not sure why. Simon kept talking about how she wasn't memorable, that she was "just a candle sitting there" (didn't quite make sense, altho I admit I'm misquoting). He just kept going on about how no one would remember her. Sure, she was timid, but she DID seem to have a good voice... I definitely think there were others that should've been bumped off before her.
Nicole Tranquillo for example. This girl just wigged me out. She might've had a decent voice - I don't remember. But watching her move around on stage? CREEEEEEPY! And then she started getting a change to her look (like the contestants often do), and moved away from sort of a country look to...I don't know how to describe it. Tougher? Whatever - like her body language, it wasn't good. Glad she got dumped!
Nick Pedro - now he SHOULDN'T have been dropped so early. There's definitely more guys who sucked more than poor Nick. This guy made it to Hollywood round last year, forgot lyrics, panicked, dropped out, and came back for another chance. He made it to the top 24. He even survived the first round of losing two guys. Why didn't he last longer? Simon kept saying no charisma. I'm not sure that's it. Maybe it just seems his heart wasn't quite in it anymore? He didn't put enough oomph into his personality when performing? Too bad - we really liked Nick. (Brett REALLY liked Nick)
Leslie Hunt got dropped last week. I kept referring to her as "the dog walker" - because that's what she did. This girl is downright quirky. I bet she'd be weirdly fun to know. I bet, assuming she could act, she'd be a riot with her awkward body language if she was in a comedy. But would I want to watch her up on stage singing? Hell no... Voice wasn't right for her look. Dancing was just strange. Sorry Leslie, but you didn't have much future on American Idol.
Brandon Rogers has made it into the Top 12... Hm. This backup singer (for big names like Christina Aguilera) really won me over at first...right on through Hollywood Week and into the Top 24. But I'm realizing there's something about him I'm just not liking... I don't think it's that he's fake...he just seems....fake? I dunno. Not sure I'm liking him anymore, and I'll be ok with him not making it too much further in the competition.
Melinda Dolittle is the other backup singer on American Idol. Once we get rid of Brandon she can continue on without being known as "the other backup singer". This tiny wonder has a set of pipes on her that's amazing. She also has the lowest self-esteem and is soooo timid. The judges are constantly reassuring her that she belongs here, and that she's got a great future ahead of her. I hope they're right. She rocks!
Lakisha Jones is the other low self-esteem girl, only she seems to be owning her place on the stage a little easier. Speaking of "having pipes", Lakisha's got 'em in spades. Holy shit! When she sang that Dream Girls song she was amazing. I think I could see her in the top 4. Perhaps the top 2. Not sure if she has the charisma to win first place. We'll see... She'll be with us for awhile!
Chris Sligh is a fun, goofy guy who doesn't look anything like "an American Idol" - and that's cool! Whoever thought he'd make it this far? When he first showed up in try outs, we really liked him, but I honestly didn't know he'd have what it takes to make it this far. So far he picks barely-known songs, and does above mediocre performances, and his personality it what pulls it all together. I don't know that he's got a whole lot more time on the show, but I really like him.
Alaina Alexander - ahhhh, here's one of the contestants that just wasn't liked by the judges. I don't know why. She's cute, perky, has style and spunk, and looks SO much like Buffy!! (From the season after Buffy came back to life) Sure, her vocals weren't real strong - I think she just needed to sound more confident - but instead she was dumped before others less deserving of being on the show. I felt so bad for her when Simon told her "at least you have your looks," and at another time asked if she and Ryan Seacrest were dating just because Ryan was asking what she could do to improve. Boo hiss. Alaina had a VERY rough run on American Idol, and I really don't think she deserved it.
Haley Scarnato, speaking of contestants the judges don't like, surprisingly made it into the Top 12. I'm going to say this is because America watched and listened and voted accordingly - and hopefully it's not because of one of those counter-voting plots out there. I like Haley - this girl has already been in a band, has a great voice, looks good, and really can sing. Instead she keeps getting told she's doing cabaret performances. Hunh? So now she's in the Top 12 - I figured she'd be voted off this week, and I'm glad I was wrong. Odds are she's only got another week or two on the show....there are definitely others better than her, but I think she's got strength in her performances and will do well after the season's over. Oh, and her boyfriend is a HUNK!
Sabrina Sloan lost to Haley this week - they were the last two girls, standing on stage, holding hands, crying...and then the announcement came. Maybe it's just how her face responds when she's fighting tears, but I honestly thought Sabrina went into wicked-witch mode and was about to rip Haley to pieces. You could tell she felt she was better than Haley and deserved that slot. Is her voice better and more marketable? Yes. But is she likeable? Hell no! I don't know why, but I've never liked this girl. She sings great, but I feel it's all a fake personality and fake stage presence. Blah. Yer gone!
Phil Stacey creeps us out. Sure he can sing. Kinda. But we don't like him. Brett and I both agree we don't care for his look, and his vocal performances seem to be getting worse each week. I remember really liking him during the try outs, but it's been down hill from there. I won't miss him when he's gone, but I've a feeling other's that I like will be leaving before him.
Jared Cotter was voted off tonite. This made NO sense to me. This guy is sex on stage. Maybe he's trying too hard with the sex appeal though? I've liked all but his Stevie Wonder performance this week. Brett thinks he made it weird for everyone when he ran his hand down his face during "Let's Get It On," splitting his fingers to either side of his nose and mouth as he did so. (For those that don't know - stick your tongue out between the fingers while doing that, and it's a dirty gesture) I really don't get his getting voted off so soon...really doesn't make sense. Randy says he's got to find a way to distinguish himself...hopefully we see him on iTunes some day!
Jordin Sparks is such a little cutie. Scratch that, she's a monstrously tall cutie. I think this girl is taller than most of the other contestants, and comes across way older than just 17!! Until she gets giggly and excited, or any other emotion, then her age shows. But you can see she's really wanting to stay on that stage! Her Joan Jett performance this week really rocked out - like a new level from her previous performances....as if she'd become a woman in the last week. I really wish she'd perform Neneh Cherry's "Buffalo Stance" - that'd be cool, and so very Jordin! I really can't tell how much longer she'll be around - she's different from the other contestants - not AS strong as the big league singers, and coming across as more naive. We'll see...
Gina Glocksen is one we root for. In some ways she seems like a more vulnerable contestant because she's doing her own thing, got her own look, etc. She's the rocker punk chick up against a bunch of soulful black divas. How's this gonna play out? I really hope Gina's with us for awhile. I don't think she's quite polished enough yet to have an album of her own, but she's starting to feel more comfortable on the stage, and really getting into her own light, so we'll see. Stick with us Gina! PS: We want your boyfriend!
Sunjaya Malakar - what the hell is he still doing on the show!?!? Sure, he sang ok during the try outs, but I felt his sister sang better and seemed more confident. His voice sounded pure and sweet, but he's got no balls, no stage presence, no power in his voice, and he needs a new hair stylist or something. Ok, drop that last one - just get him off the show and get him some singing lessons. He was cute on the show at first, but this is a singing contest - leave the show!
Sundance Head - Everyone was floored that Sunjaya made it to the Top 24 over Sundance tonite, and that's not saying much considering Sundance's track record! He sounded AMAZING during try outs, but it's been all downhill since then. He's even looking kinda weird - too polished maybe? But the singing just sucked. That's not to say that he's not a likeable guy - we'd love to have him as a friend....he just needs some singing lessons maybe?
Chris Richardson - first off, I think Brett's gonna start humping the screen when this Chris comes on. We've decided he has sort of a Tom Cruise smile thing going. Aside from this week's sort of weak country performance, he's done great work every time. I honestly didn't think he'd have it in him, but he seems smart with almost all of his song choices, and his performances are solid. Dance moves are a little weird, but that's ok...it's his style. I think Chris, who I've just realized I've stopped comparing to Justin Timberlake, could easily be in the Top 6. Maybe even Top 4.
Blake Lewis - speaking of American Idol hotties this season, we soooo desperately want Blake!! This little beat-boxing wonder is amazing. Crazy style, great voice, nifty beat boxing edge over the others, and that super fun hair. Not to mention a cute bubble butt! I think, unless he does something to screw it up, that Blake has a strong chance to be around for awhile. To the Top 4? Hm....gotta wait to see how it goes once it's guys mixed in with the girls!
AJ Tabaldo - I've saved the best two for last. If it weren't for AJ I never would've learned of the song "Feeling Good" by Nina Simone (also performed by Leslie, but less memorable, and covered by so many, including Michael Buble). I LOVED AJ's performance - if you listen to the words it's a song about feeling confidence and pride and just wanting to strut your stuff. But the way he sang it, I also felt like it was one of those cool stripper songs, like "You Can Leave Your Hat On" from The Full Monty. For some reason I felt the need to classify AJ as a Filipino gay kid - I don't know if that's right or not. But I REALLY felt he'd be around for quite awhile. How the hell did he get bumped off so early? This kid has an amazing singing voice and a great stage presence. This is one of those that just feels SO not fair!! Even the judges all liked him! I really hope something positive happens for AJ and that we get to hear him singing again some day! Treat yourself - here's his performance of "Feeling Good" - you tell me how he got voted off so early!?
Antonella Barba - perhaps the most controversial contestant? She and her best friend tried out together. She outsang her friend, but both made it to holiday week, which only Antonella survived. Her bitchy friend who made the snipey "God takes care of the good people" (or whatever) comment when someone else didn't survive a voting off. She was still sounding ok at that point. But since then it's been one shitty performance after another. And then all the web stuff stirred up - naked pics, topless beach shots, etc. Sniping back at Simon Cowel regarding the judges' assessment of previous contestants. Let's face it, the girl hasn't sung well at all, and made it this far. On her looks. I hate that line, but in this case it's gotta be true. Sorry. Brett figures she's already getting an offer from Playboy. Antonella - I'm sorry, but it's ok that you're not going to be a singer. You have amazing fashion sense and great looks...run with that!
Okaaaaaaaay, that's my excessively long report on Idol so far this season... I've left some out, including some that are still on the show, and even have great voices - just means that they're not making too much of an impression on me at this point.
Damn Brett for getting me hooked on another season - although I have to say that, so far, this season is a lot more dull and lacking in personality and diversity than last year!! So why is this the "weirdest Idol Season"? Because you've got people like Sunjaya, Sundance and Antonella making it as far as they have, and great singers like AJ and Jared getting voted off so early. You've got poor people like Alaina and Haley that the judges just seem to dislike for no reason, and saying rude, uncalled for things to them like "I don't even remember your name."
So I turned 38 this past Sunday. I really wasn't counting on anything special. I told Brett it could be a super cheap, practically free event - Joe gave me some buy one-get one Chick Fil A coupons we could use for lunch (on Saturday, since they're closed on Sundays), and I had hoped Brett would cave in, install the 2-week trial of World of Warcraft, and play with me some... That was all I'd hoped for.
And then Friday afternoon Leslie informed us we had a 230 showing of the condo. Crap. That meant Saturday morning would be clean up/organize time. Ok, fine. Brett said we could head up to Beechwood a little before the showing, do lunch, and shop around. Perfect! After that, we'd come home and WoW! (yes, now it's a verb)
I was busy making bread (to share with Leslie and Dave) and chocolate chip cookies (for us, and for the condo showing) while cleaning. That had us running a little late for Brett's planned departure time, but still plenty of time before anyone came to see the condo. Not a problem.
After dropping bread off at Leslie's (and leaving the other loaf out to continue cooling), Brett informed me that there was something else going on (as I had suspected), and we wouldn't have time for Chick Fil A. WHAT??!! :( I figured that was part of the surprise, even though I'd noticed some toiletries were missing, and saw a "received the package" text msg from Jay on Brett's phone. Hm. Odd.
Well, I admit I wasn't dealing with it well. I'm not known for liking surprises when I'm the surprisee... But I was a captive audience, and someone meant well. Fine - going along for the ride.
We got up to Cleveland, drove around a block a few times, parked, and went into a hotel. Hm, maybe we were doing overnight and seeing some sort of show with the guys?
We waited in the lobby, and suddenly Jay shows up. Again - not a surprise since he and Brett talked on the phone while we were finding parking. And then Peter came around the column.
Ok, so that was cool! I have to admit I spent a good part of the next 24 hrs in shock just because of how much work went into the surprise. Months ago Peter and Brett emailed about them coming out for a surprise, Brett and Peter working on hotel set ups, Jay picking Peter and Conrad up at the airport and taking them out to lunch, us getting an upgraded room in the Wyndam hotel... Wow, BIG surprise! NICE!
Here's me, still a bit stunned, in the hotel room. Realize *I* didn't pack a bag for myself, nor did I know exactly what was going on...so my attire was up to Brett after this point...
Brett took some extra shots of the room...
After vegging in the room for a bit we all went back down to the bar, meeting up with Conrad (who'd been napping when we arrived), Peter, Dave (who showed up a little later than us), and Jay for some wine. (Went down like Kool-Aid - I'd only had some raw cookie dough, and a McDonald's cheeseburger and fries) After hanging for awhile we all went back to our rooms to clean up for dinner.
Brett and I taking the elevator back down after getting dressed up. Brett dresses up more comfortably and nicer than I do. I'm a jeans guy!
Brett modeling in the mirror.
Another part of the surprise is that Brett was taking us all to Brasa Brasilian Steakhouse - Jay and Brett worked hard to find the perfect place for dinner that would impress us all and be an enjoyable experience. Trust me, they excelled in their decision making here!
Brasa works like this... First off, they have a kick ass "salad bar" - with SO much more than "just salad". There was a mountain of asparagus, waldorf salad, crawfish salad, hearts of palm, a delicious pork and black bean dish, mussels (no thanks Peter), couscous, sesame seasoned broccoli, and soooo much more (including salad!). Once you've dined on some of the salad bar goodies, you flip your little "meat card" over from red to green. Before you know it, staff are bringing around skewers of succulent meats - sliding or slicing off small pieces that you grab with your personal tongs and put on your plate. Once you've had enough meat and need a breather, you flip over the card (although they weren't paying attention and brought more meat, which we couldn't refuse).
Our meat selections included bacon-wrapped-turkey, bacon-wrapped-beef-filet, sausages, little tiny roasted "sheeken" (chicken) legs, prime rib, filet mignon, flank steak, parmesian crusted some-cut-of-beef, leg of lamb, lamb chops and more - I forget!!! It was an all meat extravaganza and it wasn't long before we were all experiencing the meat sweats! MMM MMM GOOD! Some of the meats were a little too rare for our taste, but still very good.
There was an adventure with picking a bottle of wine...something Brett and I rarely drink. I didn't care for it as much as what we had back at the hotel, but those who are better experienced with wine really enjoyed it.
I'm still not sure how Peter felt about the food...
What do you think - did he enjoy it?
Here's Jay and Randy posing. Randy got to show up shortly after we were seated, but Larry had to stay home with Kyle, who was sick. Sorry - we missed you Larry!
Me and Dave - shortly before the meat sweats.
Peter and Brett. Watch your hands Peter!
Conrad - I kept taking bad pics of him, usually getting someone else's arm, or a flash off the drinking glasses. Finally got a great shot of him!
Peter usually takes great shots of the dinners he eats while dining out. Here - this'll really show my appreciation for the food. Don't take the scraps as an insult to the food...I had to make room for more!
Here's the walk from the hotel to Brasa - damn it was COLD and WINDY, not to mention a bit far!
Here's the ride back from Brasa to the hotel - THANKS RANDY!!
After all that meat, we headed out to a couple bars - first to Club Argos (a "gay sports bar") and later to The Grid. Peter and Conrad hadn't been to a gay bar in years, so hey, we offered them some fun sites. There's nothing as fun as coming up with nicknames for people in a gay bar!
After all that meat and loud music it was time to call it a nite, even planning to let ourselves sleep in a bit. Brett woke up before me. I hate him:
Brett got some pics out the hotel window as well...10th floor!
And here's Brett early in the morning!
We met up for brunch and had really good food and fun times...
Brett was most likely harassing me about something...
After brunch we entertained Peter and Conrad by taking them around Cleveland, including Tower City Mall...
Annnnnd then a quick bite of pastries for "lunch" before taking them to the airport.
Wow - what a crazy fun weekend! Hard to believe it all happened in less than 24 hours!!!
Peter and I were the only ones who'd met before this weekend. I got to meet Conrad for the first time. Conrad and Peter got to meet Brett. The guys all got to meet each other. I think some great new friendships were made this weekend...and hopefully they'll all continue to keep in contact and, who knows, maybe get to see each other again before too long. There are already plans for Brett and I to head to Chicago in May, and then Peter and Conrad want to come back down later in the summer to see our (hopefully) new home and garden!
PS It took me like 12 minutes just to upload all these pics, and that was before adding comments. I sure hope Blogger doesn't barf on this entry!
The only thing I really wanted for my birthday this year was for Brett to give the World of Warcraft trial a try - to spend some time playing computer games with me online. Silly, yes, but hey, at $1.99 for two weeks (he could've actually gotten it for free), it can't be beat!!
So here's after we've played a few nights, and we've leveled up a bit, but we're starting to wind down for the night and are trying to figure out what we need to do to wrap it up. We've completed some quests that still need to be "cashed in", and we'd wandered into a new area with a bunch of Gnarlpines... We'd killed off most of the nearby ones, but apparently there was still one who's walking-path brought it within range of us.
We were just standing there while typing back and forth, and I was having fun taking screenshots of us - I'd pivoted the camera around and zoomed in. Brett hasn't really mastered this part of the game yet, focusing more on navigation and questing still (hey, I'm easily distracted). Once I realized what was going on I was laughing my ass off...it really wasn't as ominous as it looks, but don't you half expect to hear the Jaws theme song playing through the series of these pictures?
Oh, and Tucker gets a little jealous of our game time sometimes...gotta be right in the middle of it all!
Oh heck, since we're on the subject of Idol mammaries, check out the new "shoes" Kellie Pickler bought with the money she's been getting since her time on American Idol last season!
Alright, in all seriousness - and not being a breast expert - I suppose it's very possible those are the same breasticles that she was sporting last year, only with the outfit accentuating them. Or maybe she's just put on a little weight...she's a country girl, and new weight seems to go either to the boobs or the hips. Whaddaya think!?
As for the rest of her look - she way overdid it while playing in someone's make up! Wowza! Dial it down a notch Pickler!
Take one chicken. Stuff it's cavity with wedges of onion and lemon, halved heads of garlic, salt and pepper, and sprigs of rosemary. Suspend over pan with cookie rack. Rub it all over with olive oil, and then pat in kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Dump several glugs of wine in the pan, and toss in whatever filler items didn't fit in the chicken. Roast til done. Cool off a bit. Eat most of the crispity skin off the top of the chicken (ouch - wait til it's a little cooler!). Pull apart all the meat of the chicken, and add it to just cooked ribbony pasta. Partially defat/strain all the juices in the pan, and pour over chicken and pasta. Stir in a little frozen homemade pesto from last summer's garden. Yum.
The next nite, add to boiling chicken broth from grocery store, add in some rice and veggies. SOUP!
Whoa! Here's one way to get some attention, and to wrap up the never-ending "Civil War" story line that's run far too long in Marvel's comics this year! I don't read much Marvel, and never Captain America - so I don't actually know that this is tied into the "Civial War" crossover in Marvel... I figure the two are related somehow. Now - how soon will they bring Cap back from the dead? Or show that it was fake? I know they planned some big stuff with this crossover - including revealing Spidey's secret identity to the world - that was a real shocker! Guess we'll just have to wait and see. (Just like we'll have to wait and see how fast I get my butt in gear and post some more blog entries - including the wild and crazy adventures from this past weekend's birthday event and all meat extravaganza!!!)
Very interesting article about a high school girl responding with "That's so gay!" after other kids teased her for Mormon stereotypes, so she got a warning and notation in her record, and in turn her parents sued to defend her First Ammendment rights... I'm totally torn on the main basis of topic! (Let me state right now that I think the parents are idiots for suing anyone on this subject. So what if their kid got a note in her record over this...it's high school!)
I TOTALLY feel the "It's so gay" line is wrong and overused in all the wrong ways. I'm tired of hearing it to slam someone else, or describe something negatively. I'm in no way a gay rights activist, but this one really offends me. I've heard our student workers use it on rare occassion, and then called them on it (but not in an offensive way - just bringing it to their attention). I hear it used in the Hub on campus. And I actually left a guild/server in World of Warcraft and joined a gay-friendly one because too much of that type of stuff was going on between the players...
Sure, I'm a grown adult and know that they usually don't even think of "homosexual people" when they say that line...it's just a generic insult. But considering how it originated, then yes, I take offense to it.
But in this particular case, the girl's defending herself because other kids were making fun of her for being Mormon. Are those other kids in any sort of trouble?? I sure hope so. What she did isn't right, and yet I realize it's going on all around her, so why SHOULD she be any different. And those other kids were intentionally attacking something about her specifically - while she was responding in general to their comments.
The article also mentions how the year before two boys were hired to beat up a gay kid...and that in some ways that resulted in the school taking such a strict stance on this particular situation.
I dunno. I'm torn. What she's saying isn't nice at all. But was she calling those other kids gay, or just discounting what they were saying about her in a way? The latter. I'm not defending what she did...but I think this is being taken to extremes.
(Hopefully you realize that's a take off've the old Muppets Show "Pigs in Space!"?)
