| Category: General, Sports and Wine, Entertainment Tonight, Random | 0 Comments
Tip of the hat to MarK for this lovely nugget sent in today. It’s good to know that all was right in the world back in the nineties, instead of getting a Final Four where I can’t root for any underdogs. (Or my impotent Illini)
There’s a great collection of “song charts” in a pool on flickr here.
Happy Thursday!
| Category: General, Entertainment Tonight | 1 Comment
GameSpot Video: Rock Band Stage Demo
OH MY GOD. From the people that brought you Guitar Hero (and you know how I feel about that) so many more instruments. Going to be pricey, and I’m going to need a PS3/Xbox 360. Start saving money now– it’s going to be so worth it!
| Category: General, Sports and Wine, School Daze, Entertainment Tonight, All about me, Home Improvement | 1 Comment
So.
Well, I finally made it back, 2.857142857142857 readers. The following post contains ramblings and a catch all for my life over the past three months. Suffice to say, it’s been busy. Without further ado, I give you possibly the most disconnected post written by a contributor to this site ever.
SO…Taguchi.
Baseball starts tonight. My fantasy team is drafted, Frank the Tank and Siberian Baseball have made their predictions, and it’s almost time to mow the lawn. My glove is in the trunk, screaming to be let out. Maybe now that we’ve settled into the house, I can think about playing for beer league or something. It would be a lot of fun to get involved on a softball team. For the record, I predict the Cubs will finish third in the NL Central behind the Brewers (1st) and then the Cardinals (2nd) and the Sox will finish second behind the Indians in the AL central. My fantasy team, is again, young, but filled with potential. Pitching will be a problem, but I have enough young outfielders that I’ll be able to make some good trades later in the year.
Sew…A wedding dress.
Two Fridays ago, I attended my brother-in-law’s bachelor party. Two important things were learned by yours truly that evening:
1) I can still bring it. I was up for twenty-five hours and still managed to drive myself home. (Pay no attention to the fact that I confined myself to the bed/couch for the rest of the afternoon/evening…)
2) Traveling with cops gets you a lot. (My bro and his best man are both newly-minted agents of good.) We did not pay a cover charge at any establishment we attended. That saved a lot of money that I was then able to funnel into Lou’s mouth in the form of shots. Good times.
A good portion of spring break was spent discussing gambling and partaking in small bits of it. Wednesday night I had the boys over for a poker game, since I’m apparently the only one able to organize these things, and I got my money back after getting lazy and not paying attention to Marc and his pocket bullets. C’est la vie.
I also did some gambling at Elgin’s finest boating establishment. It took 90 minutes, but I finally managed to lose only $40. It looks like the casino is not going to have $5 craps tables anymore, and since I’m not getting any richer, I had to adjust my strategy for the $10 tables. (Playing only the point, and placing the six/eight seems to be the way to slowly bleed my money instead of instantly losing it.)
This past Friday was the wedding. We now have one more member of our family. She seems like she’ll keep my brother-in-law focused, so that’s a good thing. Congrats to both of them. Seeing all of TLEMK’s family was also enjoyable. Her mother’s side is predictably fun and kooky, and her dad’s side is predictably Greek. You may interpret how you will– feel free to ask TLEMK and Dev to their re-enactment of V’s grandpa and friends having a discussion…
Sow…I reap what I sow.
As you know, we’re in month seven of the House Reclamation Project Which We Will NOT Call a Money Pit Just Yet Project. So far we’ve repainted the exterior (as in, hired someone) and have slowly redecorated it to match our tastes. It’s going slowly, but now that I’m done with grad school (see below) I have a little window in which I can learn to be a real man/homeowner/Mr. Fix It type. There’s a honey-do list about mile long on the fridge that we need to have done in time for the 67th annual McIntosh Family Reunion (appearing in mid-to-late July) which in a moment of insanity, we agreed to host.
Apparently, one thing that’s not on the list that will be added is this wonderful discovery we made over Spring Break:
We need a new roof.
We’ve got curling shingles, pitted shingles, shingles missing, and a lovely collection of pieces of asphalt sprinkling our back patio. We’re getting estimates this week, all the while I keep hoping and praying that it doesn’t rain too much, and that the wind will calm down. (Yeah, I know it’s spring… I just was hoping for a calmer spring.) I know it’s an investment, and I probably won’t have to get a new roof for another 15-20 years, but I was hoping to establish an emergency fund BEFORE we had to start using it.
So…that happened.
I am DONE with my master’s thesis and my classes. I’ve decided not to walk in the graduation ceremony because I don’t think I would be able to keep my mouth shut and would start spewing invectives directed and the entire University. I don’t think they would appreciate that. The last few weeks of my grad school experience was filled with a lot of nights of staring at the computer and going, “Where does this comma go? Should I write that? Should I use italics here? CRAP!” I am happy it’s over, and sadly, already thinking about my next stage of professional development. For those of you that had “ELL endorsement” you are the winner. We’ll see when that starts.
So… there you go.
I’ve had many different topics to write about, but they’re all half-formed ideas, so you got this rambling, gambling, and fambling post. It’s good to be back writing, but I expect the rust to continue for a few more weeks. Topics I didn’t even touch:
My STINKY brackets
Which is ballooning faster? My waistline or my self-defense mechanism? (’You don’t look that bad. Yet. Keep sucking it in.”)
Planning for Greece, planning for the reunion, planning for everything.
Why I allow television to rule my life. (If you don’t watch Friday Night Lights, please do so. NBC.com has all the episodes to watch for free, and Frank the Tank and the Chicago Tribune made an impassioned plea to bring it back next year. End commercial.)
More house crap.
Anyway, I’ll talk to you soon, Internet.
No, you say bye first.
No, you say bye.
Okay, I’m hanging up right now.
You didn’t hang up!
Bye.
(image courtesy of the Associated Press.)
| Category: General, Entertainment Tonight, WTF? | 3 Comments
Sorry folks, just can’t quite seem to shake the fact that I really do enjoy this game, and I know there are others out there that do as well. Also, there are plenty of people around here that could learn, if they wanted to… Anyway, I’ve been doing some reading at the ACC website (no, not that ACC) and found out that it really doesn’t take much to start a cribbage club. And, they have a convention. In Vegas Jr. (Reno). Next weekend is the Illinois Open in Crystal Lake, but I don’t think I’m ready for that kind of dedication yet. I need to start slow and accrue some points. I smell a good summer project for me, when I’ll be free of the beast that keeps me chained from my freedom, otherwise known as my thesis. What I need to know; is there anyone else interested in trekking with me to one of the clubs that have regular meetings to see what it’s about? Woodstock and Crystal Lake (sorry DaveJo) may be a little too far for a weekly commute, so I’m wondering if there would be interest in eventually (read: this summer) starting a local club. And by local, I mean closer than an hour away in Thursday night traffic. 
Anyway, feedback for this would be appreciated. I included some links with my del.icio.us post yesterday– check them out and tell me what you think!
| Category: General, Music and Movies, Entertainment Tonight | 0 Comments
Lucky you, Internet! You get two real posts in one week. Maybe there will even be more! Today, instead of edumacating lives, I’m living in that special kind of purgatory known as jury duty. I’ve never served, mostly because I haven’t lived in one county long enough for the federales to find me. But now that I live in Dupage, they sense the instant a less-than-conservative potential juror settles in. Call it the Rooney Rule of the conservative bastion of the Chicagoland area. And yet again, I digress. This is not about jury duty. That post will come later. This particular post, friends, is about movies.
We all know that TLEMK and I love the movies. Mostly I love the popcorn and the ability to not worry about other things for two hours. TLEMK likes the dark, because it reminds her of sleep. Over the winter break, we managed to see three movies that were very different and yet had some common themes in them. My suspicion is it’s Oscar season and the people that make the talkies want us to be an emotional wreck at this time so we don’t pay attention to things like plot or writing, or you know, dialogue. Without further review, I give you three movies that yes, you should go see, but no, you don’t need to go to the theatres for two of them.
Chronologically in the order that we saw them, We are Marshall was the first movie to jerk the tears and tug at the heartstrings. I’m going to assume you know the premise of the movie, and if you don’t– 1970 plane crash kills all but 4 members of the Marshall football team, leaving the university and the town of Huntington, WV, to deal with the aftermath. I won’t give too much of it away here, but I confess I had some NCAA ignorance on the fact that they didn’t used to let freshmen play sports. Three performances stood out: Ian McShane, he of Deadwood fame had a supporting role that was fantastic. I wish the US had discovered him sooner, because I get the feeling that he won’t be acting for much longer (IMDB puts him at 64… so who knows.) Kate Mara sparkled on the screen. Her acting wasn’t top notch, but she nailed the small-town cheerleader role. The camera loved her- she’s much cuter than her grandfather Wellington (bringing the NFL-owner references to two now, for those of you keeping track at home). Finally, David Strathairn gave an understated and underrated performance… how would you deal with all the pressure from different sides? The movie was enjoyable, and not from the football aspect, although that was fun too. I thought that it dealt well with the raw emotion of the families and student body, and with those that had to pick up the pieces after a tragedy. Again, I won’t give away the ending, but I’m glad they didn’t Disnefy it too much. Rent it.
Rating: 3 fat bellies (out of four)
Next up was The Pursuit of Happiness Happyness.Will Smith, blah, blah, blah. Older, looking mature, and giving great acting chops. The movie is supposed to make you upset. It’s supposd to make you cry. It’s supposed to make you remember how much you hate people who can do the Rubik’s Cube. Wait, Will Smith finishes the ‘cube. Now I don’t know what to think. I enjoyed this movie as well. I was surprised, however that the film didn’t play up the homeless angle more. I think they could have tastefully referenced it a little more—homelessness is a huge problem, but wasn’t really touched on too much as cause. Rather, it was one man’s struggle. Smith’s son did well in the Kid who Says Cute Things Role, and Thandie Newton needed more lines. Also, I would like to see her in a happy movie, after her turns in Crash, and on ER are starting to make her typecast as the girl-of-which-bad-things-occur. Pajiba gives a spot-on review of the movie. Again, I would go rent it, because you don’t need the cinematic experience to fully enjoy it.
Rating: 3 fat bellies and a spicy hot wing.
Finally we come to the movie that I’ve been telling anyone that would listen to go see. After seeing it I still think you should go see it. You also need to go see it in the theatre, because visually, it was a fascinating movie. Children of Men is an apocalyptic-type film that asks you to believe that in 2009, women stop having babies. Fast forward to 2027. It’s been 18 years, and there are no children anymore. The youngest person on the planet is nearly 19 years old. Understandably, things are not looking good for the human race. Our protagonist finds himself asked to do a favor that may change the fate of this doomsday scenario. What follows is a tense, raw, and honest dealing of the way humans may go when civilization decides to crumble. The sights and sounds of this movie make it worth it to see on the big screen. This is good because the dialogue tends to be missing from good portions of the movie. I thought Michael Caine had a nice supporting role, and that Clive Owen could have used some more words. This movie resonated with me the most because it dealt with the darkest sides of humanity, despite the context. Fun is not the right word for this flick, but terrific definitely describes it. Please go see this movie. (Special props to TLEMK, who braved the movie, despite the tension throughout. I have the bruise marks on my arm to prove it.)
Rating: 4 fat bellies and a delicious spicy garlic drumette.
There you go, folks. Lame movie reviews to spice up your Wednesday afternoon. Only four more hours of jury-duty-waiting!
| Category: Entertainment Tonight | 2 Comments
So since I saw Anchorman, I have had a new appreciation for Will Ferrell. My sibs love Elf, so it’s good all around. I was just catching up on my celebrag blogs (I have to keep up with my classmates, who read People like it’s their holy book of your choice) and came across this:
The Ten Best Will Ferrell Skits of All Time
Since I didn’t watch too much SNL when he was in his prime, it’s been great to catch up. (Incidentally, Jim Carrey hosting SNL is probably my favorite episode.)
Happy Wednesday!
| Category: General, Music and Movies, Entertainment Tonight | 0 Comments
Good day to you, fine peoples.
Currently in my area, 90, degrees, under HOT skies. Sloth-like conditions will continue well into the late afternoon. Don’t move, or you’ll have to reapply the deodorant.
Had a great time with the O’s last night at the World’s Largest Block Party, also known as The Home of the Two for One Beverage Ticket Charade, in Which you Give the Ticket Collector One Ticket and Give the Bartender Two Cups to Fill. Worked like a charm everytime. Only TLEMK stopped drinking beverages early, and I was consistently “stuck” with two cups. The result is a blurry picture, blurry calls to friends, (Hello TW, Zigzag, and Frank the Tank), a blurry train ride home where
the iPod was the saving grace, and a blurry attempt to drink water. This morning I took V to the train station, and came back in an attempt to sleep a little more. However, sales people, and the cat’s hairballing caterwaul made that a tricky endeavour. I turned on the TV, and settled on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. (What? I need to keep in touch with my students’ interests.) What finally got me out of bed was the stupid Build-a-Bear commercials; three of them in one half-hour show. For some reason, they drove me crazy and got me out of bed to share with you.
Let the healing begin.
| Category: General, Entertainment Tonight | 0 Comments
“Hullo?”
“Hello.”
“Hell-oooo!”
“Hullo.”
“Hi.”
“Hullo.”
“Hey-Hey!”
“Hullo?”
“Hullo.”
“Hullo”
Hullo?”
“Hullo.”
“Hullo”
“…”
“Okay you win.”
This is the much-abbreviated version of the “Hello Game” that Stuck and I play anytime we call each other. The first person to not say “Hello,” or “Hi.” loses. We play it often, to the annoyance of anyone within hearing distance.
Tonight though, I found the ulimate “Hullo Game” champion.
Riiiinnnnnnnnnnnnggggg!
“Toll-free call. I’ll get it, honey.” I always am the gentleman.
“Hello? Hello? Hello?”
“Hello, this is an important message from Sallie Mae about your student loan…” (obviously recorded)
“Hello? HELLO?!!”
“Hello, this is an important message from Sallie Mae about your student loan…”
Wait, did that just start over?
“Hullo?”
“Hello, this is an important message from Sallie Mae about your student loan…”
No way.
“Hullo?”
“Hello, this is…”
“Hullo?”
“Hello, “
“HELLO?”
“Hello,”
“HEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLOOOOOO?”
“Hello, this is an important…”
“Daaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmmmmmnnnnn!”
“Hello, this is…”
I gave up. I never would have won.
*************
Really, I have posts kicking around. Just working up to it.
| Category: General, Music and Movies, Entertainment Tonight | 2 Comments
Just got back from Superman Returns.
A) I heard Brandon Routh was hired because he looks like Christopher Reeve. I don’t think he was hired because of his acting abilities. He said, and I’m sure you can find this on the interWeb, about 200 words for the whole movie, including a speech that was recited at the beginning of the movie.
B)Kate Bosworth= Lois Lane, if she were still in high school. The Smallville incarnation of Lois has a much bigger pair of cojones. Yes, I watch Smallville. I also watch So You Think You Can Dance? We’re not hear to talk about that. We’re here to talk about how….
C) Kevin Spacey did not get enough lines in the movie. Interestingly enough, he seemed to get more screen time than anyone, and still didn’t manage to develop his character. I would guess this is because we are supposed to ‘know’ the characters, and how they react. In fact, the movie really seemed to lack dialogue and developed characters throughout, which surprised me for a Bryan Singer film. (X-Men, X2 had at least some dialogue, and he’s a producer on House, which is very, VERY wordy. And good. It even got nominated for an Emmy)
Overall, I will continue to go see these kinds of movies, because even if they’re not cinematic masterpieces, they are fun summer movies. And if you haven’t seen Batman Begins, you really need to.
TLEMK liked it, I felt very ambivalent towards it. Next up, Pirates of the Carribbean 2.
**********
Still to come: My thoughts on the state of the DMB nation, and OhMyGodSteak.
| Category: General, Entertainment Tonight, Chomping on Books, All about me | 2 Comments
It’s great to be back among the flatlanders.
California is a nice place to visit. The weather is beautiful, the people are beautiful, the cars are beautiful, and the land itself is gorgeous. Everything is growing in California– there are plants everywhere, and yet it doesn’t feel like a jungle. And everything is so darn tasteful. The roofs all match in souther Cali.– stucco of various earth tones that make you feel like it’s all one big happy family. I see why some people think it’s a paradise, and why people miss it so much.
But it’s not home for me, and I’m not sure it would ever feel like home. Scary as it sounds, I like the fact that the weather changes here in the Midwest at a moment’s notice, and that I might need a jacket the same day I go swimming in Lake Michigan.
Regardless, I’m just happy to be back on the planet, instead of 32,000 feet above it. Don’t even get me started on the MD80 that had to make an emergency landing at O’Hare this morning. Had I been on that plane, that would have been it. After cleaning up my pants, I probably would have started investing in RV’s and cruise ships. For now, I’m happy I wasn’t, because it means that I will get back on an airplane again. Someday, but probably not in 2006.
So it’s great to be back in Illinois. V and I are switching roles– she’s super busy grad student, and I get to do grad school casually. This means the cat and I are spending time together. It won’t end well.
The rest of the California trip was fun. We went to Hollywood, and did the touristy stuff; the walk of fame, the hand/footprints outside Grauman’s Theatre, and we saw Cars at the restored El Capitan Theatre. Of course, we ate at In ‘N’ Out… On Saturday, we went to the Santa Barbara Mission and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. Both were good sources of information for the local region, and had nice exhibits. The mission is in really good shape for 200+ years. (I’m guessing it has to do with the weather.) The museum had a random exhibit on frogs, which I took a decent amount of pictures. I’ll try to use some of them in the classroom next year, but for now, I put some of them on my flickr page, so you can see what I did.
I also got to read a lot on the trip, and for me, instead of grad school. I continued reading a fantasy series (Child of Flame by Kate Elliot) which I’ll get more into later. Currently, I have my fingers in three other books.
Dreams From my Father is the autobiography written by Barack Obama before he became a senator. It’s a pretty interesting read. It gives me a little more insight into who he is, and I feel like he is very candid in it.
On the recommendation of Minneapolis Red Sox, I’m reading Summer of ‘49 by David Halberstram. Just started it on the train yesterday, but I love baseball, and I’ve always been fascinated by DiMaggio and Williams, and the writing is good so far.
The most interesting book I’m reading right now is called Fantasyland: A Season on Baseball’s Lunatic Fringe. It’s written by Sam Walker, a sports columnist for the Wall Street Journal. It’s about his attempt to break into the elite circle of fantasy baseball. It’s a quick read, and really engaging, especially if you thought you were obsessed with fantasy baseball. These people are truly obsessed, but have changed the way we evaluate talent and the way statistics are used in the game. I highly recommend it if you love fantasy (fanalytic) baseball.
Next up: Getting finances in order, cleaning, healing, and grad school. It definitely doesn’t get any less busy until maybe March of next year.
It’s great to be home.
| Category: General, Sports and Wine, School Daze, Entertainment Tonight, All about me | 2 Comments
Yes.
Since last Wednesday, the official last day of the school, it’s been a whirlwind. Here’s what I’ve done in the last eight days (in order)
Wednesday (the 7th): Finished school. Tried really hard not to cry. Blamed pheremones of female teachers and dust as I told the kids that I would miss them. Went to Weber Grill with the staff, enjoyed whiskey. Travelled to beautiful Bellwood, Illinois, avoided getting shot, and picked up my RoboCop moon boot for my ankle, 3 1/2 weeks after I sprained my ankle. I love the HMO system.
Thursday: Started the day with an MRI. Nothing says “Happy Vacation!” like waking up at the same time and torquing your ankle to hold it in a painful position for 50 minutes. For the record, MRI’s don’t bother me. Not finding anything out (more on this later) does. Went back and finished cleaning up/hiding my mess in my classroom so that summer school could move in. Then me, TLEMK, Frank the Tank, and Mrs. Frank the Tank went to the Sox game. My first game in twelve years, and naturally, they lost. I was the big winner, because it was dollar dog night. Those poor hog anuses never had a chance. We stayed downtown with Dev and C (shout out!) in their lovely apt.
Friday: Dev and C left for work, so V and I walked up to the Mexican restaurant for lunch ( I had a jumbo margarita– nothing like zero to buzzed in ten minutes!) Limped back to the apt., and then met the Zigzags in the theatre district for the Flecktones concert. The concert was good, as usual. This was the fourth time I’ve seen them, and the second time with such a mixed crowd of hippies and season-ticket holders of the Chicago Theatre. I did get a decent photo:
but nothing on the inside. I got sleepy in the second act, but that’s okay.
Saturday: Went to TLEMK’s uncle’s wedding. Sounds weird, but he’s only a few years older than us. Got to see some of V’s family (”Is that Aunt Tess, or Aunt Bess?”) and meet some of V’s cousins from out of state. They thought I was funny. Or a funny drunk. One of the two. Regardless, I already posted my picture of my pyramid of Jacks and Cokes. I also managed to get my future sister-in-law to play the “Match Tony drink-for-drink game” which never ends well, right Kenny? I had a good time at the wedding.
Sunday: Woke up slowly. We went to the after wedding brunch, and then stopped by my parents house to say hi. That evening we invited the Zigzags over for Sweet Tomatoes because we are paying them to be our friends. It’s nice to have paid for friends.
Monday: Grad school started. This class is boring, and easy. We spent our evening finishing the first (and only) season of Firefly, and two more Band of Brothers episodes.
Tuesday: Grad school, started packing, went to see The DaVinci Code. I’m glad I didn’t reread the book, because I knew most of the things that were going to happen in the movie, despite not remembering many of the details of the book.
Wednesday: Grad school, and then to the airport. I did much better with flying this time, friends. Despite the fact that there was no in-flight movie, or a place to plug-in headphones, my step-father-in-law found out which seats had the DC power outlet, so I got to watch the first disc of the first season of House. Nothing distracts you from fatalistic grimness at 32,000 feet like a morbid jackass doctor. I loved it, and it really helped me during the flight. Because, as we all know, I do not do well with flying.
We made it safely to LAX, and got our luggage quickly. We were in Ventura by 12:45am zulu, making it 2:45 in Chi-town. Long day.
Thursday: Got up fairly early, because day 1 of the Cali Trip is wine-tasting day! I’m not a big wine-drinker, but I enjoyed going to the different wineries to taste the wines. I’ve decided there is a very simple system for determining whether or not I like wines: I say “Like it” if I didn’t want to vomit, and “Didn’t like it” if I did want to vomit. Thankfully, I enjoyed most of the wines we tried today. We went to four vinyards, and did three tastings. We also went to a brewery to do a beer sampler flight (they were realllllllly good). I learned that I don’t like hanging out with people who are obsessed with wine (like the people that we saw at the wineries) but that I do like wine more than I thought.
The weather here in California is gorgeous. I totally get why people want to live here.
I also took some pictures today. I’m trying really hard to keep a photo record of this trip, and I put them on my flickr page. (See the Cali Trip set) The more I play with my camera, the more I’m impressed with the pics it takes. For a point-and-shoot, it does a pretty nice job. As you can see, I’ve been working on the macro setting, and looking at lighting.
Tomorrow is Hollywood. We’re going to hit the streets and look for stars. Or at least Lindsay Lohan (skank).
So that’s what I’ve been doing in the last eight days. Now I’m sleepy.
| Category: General, Sports and Wine, Entertainment Tonight | 1 Comment
We both finally made it to a minor-league baseball game. The weather was glorious, the pitching not so much. Our seats were three rows behind the dugout, halfway up the first base line. Close enough that even my camera could take pictures like this:
One pop fly foul ball came within a few rows of us, and the lady that got it wasn’t even watching. It hit her in the wrist, and sounded like it really hurt. She should pay attention more. Perhaps the most stunning sequence of events involved TLEMK. She not only drank one Goose Island 312, but shared a second one with me! This is nothing short of miraculous. Apparently (apparently), you need to have ballpark food in order to enjoy BEvERages. We shall continue to work on this–it will be my honor and privilege to let you know how developments proceed.
Before the game, we also got to see the famous Clydesdale horses of Budweiser. They were tall, and some of them were looking at me:
More available on my flickr account.
I heart baseball. Can’t wait to go in three weeks!
| Category: General, Techie, not Geekie, Entertainment Tonight | 2 Comments
I think I just wet myself.
Read the article, because I don’t think I can relate how excited I am about this.
Going to change my pants now.
Is it November yet?
| Category: General, Entertainment Tonight, EAT | 1 Comment
Gentle readers, I am branching out. We all know that my top three foods of all time are potatoes, cheese, and bacon, and any combination thereof. This weekend, to celebrate our youngest sister’s eighth birthday, the United Colors of Bennetton, the Wajs, my parents, grandma, and of course TLEMK and I, all trekked down to the city (Chicago, that is) to enjoy some of the heritage of three of my siblings; fine Ethiopian food. Ras Dashen, located on Broadway, just north of Hollywood on the Uptown/Edgewater border (look how trendy I sound!) is a relatively small establishment that specializes in “family style” Ethiopian cuisine. Large round platters, lined with injera (a spongy flat bread that has the texture of a pancake) is brought out, and then delicious dishes are put on top. Each platter (about 16″ across) had room for about 7-10 entrees and sides. Here’s a picture of what it looked like before we started eating:
To eat, you take pieces of injera that they give you in a basket, and fold it around the piece of food you want to eat. No utensils. It’s basically an appetizer in each bite. And boy, did we take lots of bites. We ordered a lot, and ate it all. My personal favorites included doro wat chicken and egg in a spicy berbere (think curry, but spicier) and yebeg wat, (lamb in the berbere sauce). However, everything I tried, meat or veggie, was delicious. Good times, and not too pricey. They also had delicious beverages, including a stout that had a great finish.
Since I was fortunate enough to get to drive the suburban into the city, I did not imbibe as much as I might have. Driving the tank in the urban setting was fun, but driving home was much easier. After stuffing ourselves, we headed back to the homestead for cake and presents. We had a great time with the family this weekend. Here’s a picture of the birthday girl:
So, if you’re looking for a legal way to spice up your life, try Ethiopian food. This ends my lame conclusion.
| Category: General, Music and Movies, Entertainment Tonight | 1 Comment
For the first time in about two months, TLEMK and I went to the movies on Saturday. This may not sound like a long time to you, but she and I are used to going to a movie almost every week, because the theatre near us is cheap (5.50 for a matinee) and gives free refills on all sizes. When you appeal to my fat and cheap side, you win. With the dearth of quality movies coming out druing the post-Oscar slump and pre-summer blockbuster time, there hasn’t been anything that we *had* to see on the big screen. We’d also reached an impasse of Failure to Launch vs. V for Vendetta so we needed something we could both agree on.
Thank You for Smoking is the movie we agreed on, with me being a little more reserved about it than TLEMK. This is unusual because I’m the one that wants to take the chances on the quirky movies. Thank You focuses on the life of a pro-tobacco lobbyist, with the intention of showing how morals can be flexible and that everyone is entitled to a defense, no matter how bad a corporation may be. Or that’s what Nick Naylor, our pseudo-hero, would have you think. Really, it’s a funny movie about how spin is spun, and how people live with themselves by doing things they’re not necessarily proud of, but feel they must in order to survive. You know, like going to Wal-Mart. The movie focused on Naylor, with no other characters (besides his son, who did an outstanding job) being really developed. Good cameos that were really that. Longtime fans of one of my top five movies, High Fidelity, will recognize Todd Louiso, our buddy Dick, as an aide to William H. Macy. The movie continues to make you feel horrible about the tobacco industry, but it sheds light onto the machinations of how things supposedly work. Good satire, funny lines, and even funnier sublte points in the movie make it a winner. You don’t have to go see it on the big screen, but I would definitely recommend you take a flyer on it. It was worth it.
Back to writing one of my grad school papers. Have a terrific Sunday, and go Pale Hose!
| Category: General, Sports and Wine, Entertainment Tonight | 1 Comment
Work out a lot in the next three weeks. This is basketball heaven time. And you know what goes with basketball heaven, right.
Drinking.
Water, soda, other things. Drinking definitely goes with basketball.
Also, eating.
So much food, so happy in the food village that is my stomach.
I’ll try to be good. And then Blue Moon will be on special. Or it will magically appear out of the vending machine. Stupid enticing shiny buttons to push that make beer go to my mouth.
Tonight, I’ll be watching the Illini take on MSU for the second time in the last week. Go Illini! So, what do you think of Horange and Bluez chances in the Big Dance? I’m hoping for the Sweet 16.
I’m done with conferences. I will see you in about four pounds (of drinking and food)
| Category: General, School Daze, Entertainment Tonight | 0 Comments
Enjoy this pic… we were rocking out tonight!
Also, here’s the postcard that was referenced here :
Good times.
| Category: General, Entertainment Tonight | 4 Comments
Congrats to the Jo’s!
DaveJo was one day off on his prediction. I see a fine prognosticator of football and beer ready to grow up and join our tailgating crew.
Congratulations to parents and family— we can’t wait to see him!
| Category: General, Sports and Wine, Entertainment Tonight | 2 Comments
Champange-Banana, here we come. Time to get ready for a pounding of the Cesspool of the West. (that’s M*chigan, for you non-Illini people.) We’re driving down this morning, going to game, and carousing about town tonight. Come one, come all, to the hub of the Illini Nation.
Will we see you there?
| Category: General, Entertainment Tonight | 0 Comments
I mentioned the other day that I watch a lot of TV. The newest addition to my addiction is Fox’s House. It is quite amusing to watch Hugh Laurie (the title character) berate everyone. Yes, the plot is pretty formulaic, but it’s worth it to see what crazy diagnosisis (diagnoses?) they come up with, and the irreverance Laurie displays through his character. I’ve only watched three episodes, and I’m hooked. In honor of him, and in an effort to motivate you to watch this show, I have created an acrostic:
H- Hilarity ensues
U- Usurps Dr. Cox (Scrubs) in mean-funny.
G- Gregory, the first name of the character he plays on the show
H- House, the last name of the character he plays on the show
L- Laugh Out Loud Lewd
A- Awesome personality quirks
U- Uhhh, U is hard, and I’m feeling Underwhelmed by this acrostic.
R- Righteous, and ruggedly handsome
I- Intelligent humor done right.
E- Excellent maintenance of character.
(Thank goodness that’s over. Go watch the show.)
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