Kickstarting a New Way for Me to Cook

I have kickstarted.... kickstartered....used kickstarter several times in the past, usually for little fun things like a game, or something bigger and more personal like helping a friend get a album recorded.  A while back I was looking and Anova was crowd funding... looking for seed money to make their home sous vide machines better.  So I thought "what the heck" and I joined in the madness as I thought this would be cool to see a more affordable home version.  Little did I know that the rest of the world wanted to see this as well as $1,811,321.00 of a $100,000.00 goal was pledged.

For those of you that don't what "sous vide" cooking is, it is placing an airtight bag containing your food you wish to cook into a container of temperature controlled circulation water.  You want a mid-rare steak? set the temperature to 129 degrees and place your bags of meat in the water bath for 45 minutes up to as many hours as you like(at some point the meat will begin to break down) but the beauty is you can't overcook the meat you are preparing it in the a way that it never gets above what temperature you are shooting for.  The second biggest part is that it cooks the meat evenly. instead of more done to the out side and rarer until the middle temps reach what you like, the food is even all the way through. Last clean up is a breeze, throw away the bag you used to cook and clean a pot and the cooker itself.

So, with that, here is my first adventure into a new way of home cooking:

One button cooking

 The simplicity of their design allows this cooker to attach to just about any sized cooking vessel.  I just went with a larger stock pot.  Scrolled the wheel to 56.5C (it wasn't until later that I talked to a friend on how to change the display to F, I seem to have misplaced my instruction book).  Picking a temp is as easy as using a mouse wheel and pushing a start button >....a nice beep sound indicates that it is active.  Quiet running, nothing more than a little hum and a bubbling brook sound.  To bring the water up to temp really did not seem to take too long.  I think I only had a couple of minutes left after preparing the meat in airtight bags.

new vacuum sealer

There really isn't a need to have a vacuum sealer, as there is a technique of using a zip lock baggie.  What you do is place you food in the baggie and seal it 90% of the way, and as you slowly lower it into the water you let the air work its way out of the bag.  Just before the top reaches the water level you seal the baggie the rest of the way.  This method is particularly helpful if you want to sous vide somethign like hamburgers.  The reason this sealing method is so effective for burgers is that the vacuum pump could smash the burger completely flat, where this way it just forms the baggie around the meat holding its shape. I know what you are thinking, "my grill does a great job."  and I am sure it does.  But there is something nice knowing that you are cooking the exact perfect temperature and all that remains is to sear off the product once it is cooked.

sealed and ready for a warm bath

But for me being a new toy kind of guy I ventured up to Khol's and wanted a home sealer.  I ended up spending a little more than I wanted but this one seals not only bags that you can cut to size, but pre-sized bags, wet-zip locking vacuum bags as well as sealing vacuum containers.  I am going to just seal so much stuff...  On a side note the Kohl's up the street from us is a two story monstrosity, it is truly unnecessarily  large, but they had what I wanted so bonus. 


The sealer is super easy to use...cut the bag to 4 inches more that you need.  Poke the "sealer" button and insert the bag.  Once the red light goes off the bottom of the bag is sealed.  now insert your food and without poking a button insert the open end.  This begins the vacuum process. Once the pump is done wait again for the light to turn off and there you have it. an airtight sealed bag ready for cooking. 

after searing off on the grill

This model is a wet/dry sealer, which is part of the reason it cost a little more.  It has a nice wet catch tray on the bottom of the sealer and won't suck until all the liquid is out, which again is a bonus.  We went for a per-marinated soy ginger steak from whole foods.  Both were really nice looking cuts. As they usually are there.


 Once you are happy that your meat has reached the desired temperature, if you so choose, you can sear it off to give is a little better color and make it presentable.  I used my grill, but you can certainly pan sear it if you so choose.  Other than making it look nice, and giving it a little bit a bark, this last step is certainly not required.  But I think the results speak for themselves!  I guess if you have any questions, or requests on items to try leave them in the comments below.

Can't ask for much better than that!

Vinyl Me, Please

Mike asked for the list of "52 must have" albums on vinyl as compiled from Vinyl Me, Please.

A grouping compiled from a lot of different sources that aggregated to the list below. So here they in alphabetic order, RED AND BOLD = NEED  while BLACK AND STRUCKTHROUGH = HAVE. So that is 15 of the 52 possessed, and for those of you not math inclined that leaves 37 left to procure. and that is part of the fun, trying to find some as you can't just get them all on Amazon.com.  And I will say it again, if anyone sees Beck's - Sea Change on vinyl and it isn't crazy expensive, pick it up and I will pay you back for it :)

52 - Must Haves (not my list, just taken and used from vinyl me, please) 

1  Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion  

2  Beastie Boys – Paul’s Boutique

3  The Beatles – Revolver

4  Beck – Sea Change

5  Beirut – The Flying Club Cup

6  The Black Keys – Thickfreakness

7  Blur-Think Tank

8  Boards of Canada – Music Has the Right to the Children

9  Bob Dylan – Blonde on Blonde

10 Bon Iver – Bon Iver

11 Daft Punk – Random Access Memories

12 Darkside – Psychic

13 David Bowie – Ziggy Stardust

14 Dire Straits – Love Over Gold

15 DJ Shadow – …Entroducing

16 The Felice Brothers – The Felice Brothers

17 The Flaming Lips – The Soft Bulletin

18 Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes

19 Fleetwood Mac – Rumours

20 Funkadelic – Maggot Brain

21 Joanna Newsom – Have One On Me

22 John Coltrane – A Love Supreme

23 Joni Mitchell – Blue

24 Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures

25 Kid Koala – 12 bit Blues

26 Led Zeppelin – II

27 Madvillain – Madvillainy

28 Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On

29 Michael Jackson – Thriller

30 Miles Davis – Kind of Blue

31 My Bloody Valentine – Loveless

32 Neil Young – Harvest

33 Neutral Milk Hotel – In an Aeroplane Over the Sea

34 Panda Bear – Tomboy

35 Paul Simon – Graceland

36 Pavement – Slanted and Enchanted

37 Pink Floyd – Dark Side Of the Moon

38 Portishead – Third

39 R.L. Burnside – Too Bad Jim

40 Radiohead-KidA

41 Refused – The Shape of Punk to Come

42 The Rolling Stones – Exile On Main Street

43 Sigur Rós – Agaetis Byrjun

44 Slint – Spiderland

45 Steely Dan – Aja

46 The Strokes – Is This It?

47 Sufjan Stevens – Illinois

48 Van Morrison – Moondance

49 The War On Drugs – Lost In The Dream

50 The White Stripes – Elephant

51 Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

52 Wu-Tang Clan – Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Hipster, Total Hipster pt. 4

The vinyl me, please web site has a listing of their 52 "must haves" and as I read through the list is it a pretty great one.  So I am on a quest to track them down.  New or original doesn't matter to me so much, but what I am finding is some aren't so easy (or cheap) to actually procure. but this is what I do, check amazon, eBay, the interwebs... I need to find a couple of good vinyl spots down here in Dallas, that is next on my list to do.  I do know the next time I am in Minneapolis my buddy Justin has offered to take me to the best record haunts up there, so that is exciting!  On a side note, if anyone happens to run into a copy of Beck's – Sea Change and it isn't hundreds of dollars and is in good shape, pick it up and I will buy it from you!

My latest purchase is Beirut - The Flying Club Cup It was not available on Amazon Prime, sold out, temporarily unavailable), there are a couple other options listed at $300.00 + shipping.  So I found this one on eBay from the pacific northwest.  I haven't opened it yet.  But I do love love love the sound, and I am a pretty disagreeable guy, but this makes me happy, oh so happy.

 The words, as taken from the album back:

Cliquot! Your name still haunts our conversations, we haven’t forgotten you our friend and constant companion, hunter of the elusive Spanish fox (his tail curls counter clockwise), holy fool, pickpocket, born in the blue shade of a Lebanese cedar, his mother wrapped his moist head in Turkish silks like a whirling dervish and christened him Cliquot, bastard son of Jean Luc, a retired legionnaire with black teeth. Cliquot! I have seen you beat a man in the dark alleys of Pigalle and then come weeping into my room to sink your soft blonde head into the depths of my lap, moaning “I have no home, no country, no mother”, and so I held your bruised fist in my palm and counted every crooked line and wrinkle and told you the story of Napoleon and how he fell to sleep every night by intoning (in his hoarse battle-weary voice) the name of every country he had yet to conquer.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

On cold nights Cliquot would wanter the Marais in a purple bishop’s robe and mandarin slippers with tiny bells ringing around both ankles. Little Napoleon, in Pere Lachaise, you told me how they once buried men with bells they might ring in case they woke because death is never real it is
The balloon is ready, I’ve tethered it to the balcony with a knot no sailor could invent. Ignore the gathering crowds below. Plebeians! Maybe if we look closely we will find our mothers waving handkerchiefs, and our fathers scowling. If we see any children we’ll throw them candy but don’t tell them why we are up here, floating above Belleville in a hot air balloon. If they knew, they’d never want to sleep in their own beds ever again.

Remember how we met? Barefoot on the beach (the hem of your dress starched white with salt). I was flying a beautiful kite. Yours was ragged and obviously self made. After a few failed attempts at flight you threw your kite on the sand and stomped on it. I wondered if it was your first kite. Kite making, you assured me, was not your specialty. But we are too old for kites. Let us toast the Flying Club Cup, our health, a quick painless death and helium.

I’m going to sleep so well tonight.

Breathe in, deeply now, okay do you feel it?

Don’t worry, we’re finally here.

Congratulations to Mike, Cathy and Dani for entering to win!, I will be contacting you in the not too distant future with details.

There is still time to ask questions in the post below as well!
Song of the day? enjoy the full album:

Things I Like

Things I like, this time will cover nice knives...They are one of those splurge items that until you have cut with a nice blade you do not know what you are missing.  Jamie's Aunt and Uncle, Cathy and Wayne,  many years ago got us a Wüsthof starter knife set with everything you could ever want. Since them we have added several more items into the every growing knife block.  Which leads me to

the point of this post and sharpening...we have always had the classic stick style honing steel, and while it did a fair job (all honesty could be user error) the blades were never all that great after a couple of uses.  This year for Christmas, from Jamie's sister(my sister-in-law) and her sister's husband(out brother-in-law) , Kerry and Tom (for those that don't know them), I received the Wüsthof handheld four stage sharpener.  2 stages for steel blade and 2 for Japanese blades.  Now all it take is two pulls through the course slot, and 2 through the fine and the knife is as good-as-new sharp.  It has made using them a real joy again.  Thanks to all of you!  So if you think your knives just aren't as good as they used to be, a better system for sharpening may be all that you are lacking.

Thinking of something fun for tomorrow, so you will have to check beck and see.

Today's some of the day:
"Opportunities" The Pet Shop Boys

Question Time #2

Question time!

I'm going to try this week's Q and A a little different.  So my unqualified answers will still come on Friday, but I thought I would ask for questions today.  That gives people 2 full days to ask a question that is very important to them.  And seeing that I am unqualified to answer any question that is asked you can rest assured that the answer you get will be the one that you need.  Remember there is a difference between want and need.... So feel free to fire away with question on love, medicine, science, nature (human and animal), the world, the universe, space, the ocean, literature,religion,  music, computers, programming, manufacturing, job performance, resume writing, character development, child raising, education, politics, crafting....These are just a small portion of the topics that I am unqualified to give answers on.  So please feel free to ask away in the comment section below.

Song of the day 

"My Hometown" - Neil Young..this comes from the Album A letter Home, recorded at Third Man Records and electro-mechanically engineered.  The Boss and Neil Young and Jack White, what is not to love?

Vinyl Me, Please #1

Youth Lagoon The Year of Hibernation on  purple vinyl

This is my first offing from Vinyl Me, Please. I had not heard of Youth Lagoon or his album The Year of Hibernation prior to receiving it in the mail last week.  I have enjoyed it quite thoroughly.  Slow, melodic, ambient like a trip through a dream.  Not a bad one, but own where you don't quite know what is happening.

Jamie Lou was working last night and instead of watching TV, I played some music and put this on and she said "Am I going to like it?"
My reply was "Only you can know that."
As were were listening she said "That was not what I expected.  I actually didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't that.  That was really easy to work to."

So there you have it, from a workaholic music critic, if you want some super chill music to be able to enjoy yet still get some work done look for Trevor Powers as Youth Lagoon and his album The Year of Hibernation.

Which brings me to my next part, the player in the photo.  Broke down and got a new powered turntable, and went with the Audio Technica AT-LP120-USB.  Whilst I still have yet to utilized the USB to computer option with Audacity, I have enjoyed how easy it is to set up, balance, plug in and play with this unit.  While it may be more a low end DJ's table, the fact it has on board power and I do not have to mess with a pre-amp sold me on it.  This was picked up in large part thanks to a Christmas gift card to Amazon from Cas and Tad Chilly.  So thanks!

Now enjoy the melancholy that is:

Unqualified Advice: Q & A

Here is (maybe) my new Friday post: Unqualified Advice.  The name comes from where you would expect, I am not qualified to give answers or advice on any topic, but here we go:


What aspect of living in Texas as appealed to you the most? -Eric
Great Question Eric!  There are actual several aspects 1) eating 2) shelter 3) a place to live. Jamie Lou need a new job and after looking around Dallas is where she landed.  I like to joke that she had too many personal freedoms as a female in Iowa so Texas was the logical choice.  Since I am the eye candy in this relationship I follow where the money flows.  Now, if it is where we chose to live in Dallas... that is easier to answer, in keeping her commute to a a reasonable time and not wanting another fixer-upper the farther north you go the more house and land you get, hence we are almost in Plano in Far North Dallas just inside George Bush now.

Do Longhorns really have Long horns? -Jessica
These giant gentle creatures DO have long horns Jessica!  But the only long horn I prefer are horns down

Those Are LONG! now down

Is it wrong that when I go to a Thai place and they ask how spicy I want something 1-5, I always picture them using a Spice Weasel? -Mike
First of all, Always be confident in what you believe. Secondly, I am 87% sure the spice weasel is the official animal of Thailand. So it would only make sense that the wise and fierce animal would be used in this capacity.  But hear me when I say this:  NEVER TEASE A WEASEL!

If you could eat one food, and only one food, for the rest of your life what would it be? -Lee
Now this is a hard one.  The obvious answer is Pez, Cherry Flavor Pez.  But that has already been done.  So I would have to say I would choose lasagna.  Definitely lasagna.  Or enchiladas.  I would for sure choose enchiladas. Or cereal, I really like cereals, so I would for sure choose cereal.  I do like donuts. "Donuts" is my answer. No, steak. I would choose steak.  But then I do love sushi, so we end at Uni, uni would be what I choose.  So, there is my answer for the one food I would eat
Song of the day:
maybe the best metal song ever made "Sweating Bullets" Megadeth

Things I like, trying something new.

THINGS I LIKE

So Zac and Dani and Ella and Charlie gave me my "man card" for Christmas.  Which brings me to the thing I like: Twin Peaks. Sure it has scenic views, sure the talent is better in Dallas than it is in

I finally got my man card back.

Des Moines, sure it may not be a place I would take small children.  But it has cold beer, and way above average food, that I have come to find out is made daily in house from scratch, which may explain why I like the food there.  But what I really like is they way I have been treated as a sports fan.  Being a viking and Cyclone fan in Cowboy and Longhorn territory respectively hasn't always been easy.  But at Twin Peaks they have no problem giving me a four top for my self and the game on my own television, not a lot of places would even care to cater to one person, but they have been more than willing.  I wouldn't say willing to bend over backwards, but I would like to see that.....

SOMETHING NEW

Unqualified advice

I am going to try this, leave a question any question and I will give you the answer.  But just know right now, I am pretty much unqualified to give any advice on any subject.  So it may end up being funny, or a giant failure.  So I guess Friday's unqualified advice responses will be up to you, the reader, to ask a question that you need the answer to.  And maybe a title for this part, "ask Cam" seems a bit obvious, and "unqualified advice" may be too simple, we shall see.  You are now on the clock blog reader!

Hipster, Total Hipster pt. 3

A man walks down the street 

He says, "Why am I soft in the middle now? 

Why am I soft in the middle? 

 The rest of my life is so hard."

Cover Art for Paul Simon's Graceland

As I get older I see more than the funny video with Chevy Chase for "You Can Call Me Al" that was made.  I always found this song on the funny side and the video even funnier, but now I see it closer to a man getting older and wondering what happened to him and his life and having to travel to figure it out.

Inner sleeve, so many lyrics, so many

Another great Gift from Ted and Donna this year.  Paul Simon's Graceland on 180 gram vinyl.  Again complete with free digital download, which again is more handy that a portable record player.  I do not think that there is a bad song on this record.  I'd like to know your thoughts.  included with this record was a giant Graceland artwork poster on thick nice stock paper(photo all the way to the bottom), I will put some serious thought into getting it framed (I already have about 6 other items that need framed so what would be one more, it is only money right?).


I think that getting soft in the middle is something that most people can relate to.  It is a literal getting old and doughy "Mr Beerbelly Beerbelly" and maybe it is a spiritual softness from growing soft in convictions.  I do not have the answers I did not write the song.  Then again maybe it is just a funny little story with a super catch hook... Who wouldn't want a bodyguard named Betty that can call you Al?

Back cover artwork and Thanks

Track listing
Side one    
No.
1.     "The Boy in the Bubble"
2.     "Graceland"
3.     "I Know What I Know"
4.     "Gumboots"
5.     "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes"
Side two    
No.
6.     "You Can Call Me Al"
7.     "Under African Skies"
8.     "Homeless"
9.     "Crazy Love, Vol. II"
10. "That Was Your Mother"
11. "All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints"       Simon  
Additional tracks on the digital download
No.
12. "Homeless" (demo version)
13. "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" (alternate version)
14. "All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints" (early version)

That inner sleeve speaks volumes to me.  So many words.  When I turn on the radio today there are seemingly only  2 lines of words repeated over and over and over and over.......  Now one tells a story, they just tell you It's Igggy Iz or something like that.  NOW GET OFF MY LAWN!

I am sure that there are better song writers and wordsmiths, but for my money Paul Simon is probably the best.  I will take his words over Dylan and McCartney any day.  But that is the beautiful thing about art and music, it is subjective and you don't always have to agree.  Please leave some of your favorites in the comment section below.  I am always on the look out for new stuff to try.

today's song of the day is a double live treat:
Paul Simon - "Graceland" and "You Can Call Me Al"

That is one big poster!

Hipster, Total Hipster pt. 2

Soon I will have to dig up my moutsche wax there is so much hipster in me.  This post is in the hipster vein of vinyl and was a Christmas gift from my parents Ted and Donna.

On 180 GRAM vinyl The Black Keys-thickfreakness is a limited edition release. And it came with a free digital download of the album. And that is way more convenient than taking a record player with you when you travel.

Album Cover

Album back "artwork"

Inner sleeve

I would agree that the grease on the cover is some fantastic "thickfreakness".  As is the sound that these two make.  The White Stripes, The Black Keys.... bands like these it is amazing the depth of sound that only a few can make to me.  Some can say it is dirty or sloppy but I think that is what makes it sound more real, like it came from an earlier time.  A time when there wasn't auto-tune and people recorded together and not onto laptops in their living rooms one layer at a time.  Maybe that is just me being a romantic, longing for less produced pop and more heartfelt rock.  But hey a guy can dream can't he?  It isn't that I don't

like POP I certainly do.  That is why it is pop, it is popular, but sometimes you want something a little more authentic.

Track listing
No.
1.     "Thickfreakness"
2.     "Hard Row"
3.     "Set You Free"
4.     "Midnight in Her Eyes"
5.     "Have Love Will Travel"
6.     "Hurt Like Mine"
7.     "Everywhere I Go"
8.     "No Trust"
9.     "If You See Me"
10. "Hold Me in Your Arms"
11. "I Cry Alone"



It is in the inner sleeve that we learn that "all songs recorded and mixed december 2002 by patrick carney in akron ohio at studio 45 using his patented recording technique called 'medium fidelity'[...]"
Digging more on the interwebs tells us it was recorded in Patrick Carney's basement using an early 1980s Tascam 388 8-track recorder resulting in an older sounding sound. And an older sound is exactly what draws me to this I do believe.

Plain black, thick-assed vinyl

Some albums have some really fun images or thing with the actual vinyl itself, not this one.  True to the theme of stripped down and in your face, the album itself is just standard black and I find that completely appropriate for what it is.  An unapologetic fantastic rock album.  While there a similar sound (think we can agree most band have this) I think it is more a result of all the songs coming from a single 14 hour recording session.  I think that is add to the honesty of the recording.  The song to pick will be:




""Hold Me in Your Arms" by (of course) The Black Keys

Hipster, Total Hipster pt. 1

I decided to go total hipster, and start getting vinyl records again.  It has been many a moon since I last bought "Slippery When Wet" and I think Madonna's "True Blue", but I got a membership at Third Man Records and then joined at Vinyl Me Please.  And those have been great, but for Christmas I asked for vinyl. I usually ask for nothing but this time I actually put some thought and made a list.  I think my next few posts will be on the awesomeness that is what I received.  Starting with Zac and Dani's gift of Juice Newton's "Juice".  At first glance a funny gag, but on closer inspection, this was a pretty monster album.  According to the Juice wiki page  Juice garnered Juice Newton two "Best Female Vocalist" Grammy Award nominations in the Pop and Country categories.And it has a large selection of hits:

Track listing
Side one    
No.    
1.     "Angel of the Morning"
2.     "Shot Full of Love"
3.     "Ride 'Em Cowboy" 
4.     "Queen of Hearts"
5.     "River of Love"  
Side two    
No.    
1.     "All I Have to Do Is Dream"      
2.     "Headin' for a Heartache"      
3.     "Country Comfort"      
4.     "Texas Heartache"      
5.     "The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known)"  

My biggest disappointment is that Juice has better hair than me:

Song of the "Angel of the Morning"

It gets cold in Texas too

Working from home as I do now seems to have 2 distinct advantages

1. I do not have to go outside anymore. meaning no weather, no hot no cold
2. I have really great toilet paper compared to any office I have ever been in.

I do like to "ice bath" as a form of cryotherapy, the ideal temp (in my opinion) is right around 51 degrees.  Unfortunately with the pool as large as it is and the temp at 40.4, I have not and will not get in until it warms up again.  46 was the lowest temp that I have sucked it up and climbed into and could only last 18 minutes at that temperature.  40 sounds unreasonable, unnecessary, not gunna not gunna get in it.


As an aside, if you have a pool or spa and would like a wireless way to know the temperature I have been really pleased with the model that we picked up from amazon.





Song of the day "Taxman" The Beatles

To rise from the Dead or Not

Giving it a real thought, bringing this back from the dead. Not sure that anyone really missed it but there is a lot to talk about in my head

• wine 
• beer
• leaving Iowa
• Dallas Texas
• vinyl records
• home repairs
• getting healthy
• getting older
• working from home
• the terrible Vikings
• the worse cyclones
• a few movies that I have seen
• a few creative things I want to create

like I said, I am thinking about bring this back from the dead(that is me thinking).....

Song of the day "High Ball Stepper" from the great Jack White

I-State Game Tonight

So I was invited over to Trent and Monica's last night to watch the Iowa State game, and this morning I went over and told Trent that Jamie Lou couldn't make it but I could.  This was the IM conversation that followed:

That's all I got, hey it made me laugh.

Movie Invite, tonight (Jan 19)

Tonight (1-19) Cobblestone we are going to "Contraband" with Marky Mark.  The movie starts at 7:15.  If anyone wants to we could meet up at Joe's Pub before hand.  If you are coming or want to meet up before just get ahold of me

movie write up from Flixster:

Chris Farraday (Mark Wahlberg) long ago abandoned his life of crime, but after his brother-in-law, Andy (Caleb Landry Jones), botches a drug deal for his ruthless boss, Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi), Chris is forced back into doing what he does best- running contraband-to settle Andy's debt. Chris is a legendary smuggler and quickly assembles a crew with the help of his best friend, Sebastian (Ben Foster), for one final run to Panama and back, hoping to return with millions in counterfeit bills. Things quickly fall apart and with only hours to reach the cash, Chris must use his rusty skills to successfully navigate a treacherous criminal network of brutal drug lords, cops and hit men before his wife, Kate (Kate Beckinsale), and sons become their target.

Song of the Day (reminds Me of College)  Offspring "Self Esteem":

T.F.A.N.B.T.N.B.T.N.B.C.N.O.D.

Well T.A.N.B.T.N.O.D. fell apart this year as we were out of town, so that is why this year we are starting up the T.F.A.N.B.T.N.B.T.N.B.C.N.O.D. (The First Annual Night Before The Night Before The Night Before Christmas Night Of Debauchery).

This is going to be a very low-key event this year.

Going to meet at Carlos O'Kellys 6PM on Merle Hay for $0.99 mug draw and $0.99 mug-o-ritas and food of your choice.... if you have time....

Then Old Chicago 6:30...
Then Irina's 7PM
Then Mickey's 7:30PM
Then off to Billy Joe's around 8ish, for a night of fun and singing.

Give a shout if you think you can make it on Thursday the 22nd!

Adventures in trying to play Skyrim

1) 11:30 AM I bought sky to play on Friday
2) 7PM wife wanted to go to dinner had too much wine to play that night
3) 8AM Saturday had to go to Simpson to talk to future Math-letes that might want to come to Simpson
4) 4PM sister's b-day - went to dinner and the bar got home at midnight
5) 12:30 AM fire up the old xbox for the first time in a few months
6) 12:31AM find out my Yamaha receiver is fried
7) 12:32AM slip in Skyrim
8) 12:33AM get told I need to apply updates to play the game
9) 12:37AM receive an "E66" error
10) 12:38AM go to xbox support like the screen says
11) 12:39AM unplug and plug back in, turn on receive "E66"
12) 12:40AM go to xbox support like the screen says
12) 12:41AM unplug, remove hard drive, put back in hard drive, plug in and turn on receive "E66"
13) 12:42AM start going to other web sites
14) 12:43AM find that "E66" means marked for being Modded
15)  12:44AM say, play offline
16)  12:45AM have the machine tell me I can't play without updating
17) 12:38AM rage quit and go to bed.
18) 10:00AM skip church and make wife go alone, go to best buy
19) 10:30AM buy new xbox, Yamaha hdmi receiver, many hdmi cables
20) 11:00AM kook up new receiver and run cable box through it
21) 11:05AM  it is GLORIOUS! the sound the picture
22) 11:30AM stop watching SALT and start hooking up new xbox
23) 12:00PM done configuring and importing gamertag
24) 12:01PM get call to go to lunch with wife and friends after church
25) 12:30PM go to Old Chicago and have lunch and beer
26) 2:00PM maybe too much drink from party night before, lay head down on pillow
27) 6:30PM slip in Skyrim into new black xbox
28) 6:31PM be told I need to download updates to play
29) 6:37PM press start to play
30) 7:30PM wife wants to watch TV, I haven't even made it to the first town, I am exploring ever inch, finding camps, having over 300pounds of gear moving very slowly
31) 7:45PM wife very unhappy, find an inn and save game
32) 10PM fire the game back up, cross bridge head north
33) 10:05PM avoid arrows, find door,  golden claw event started
34) 10:10PM kill 2 fools, steal every thing
35)10:20PM finish exploring first cave room continue on
36) 11:15PM kill spider, get golden claw, fight living dead things, loot urns, explore every inch
37) 11:20PM take dog outside, he really had to pee
38) 11:25PM return to find I am dead
39) 11:30PM start over, find I am spawned way before the spider that I killed first
40) 11:31PM spider kills me in 2 seconds
41) 11:32PM rage quit
42) 11:33PM watch next episode of "Dexter"
43) 12:15AM watch next episode of "Once Upon a Time"
44) 1:00AM go to bed

Things I learned from the movie "50/50"

Went to the movie "50/50" a few weeks back and it was a nice little movie with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen.  Seth Rogen already made an unfunny version of this movie with Adam Sandler called oddly enough "Funny People"

I give the movie a B, and call it not for children under 16.  With that, here is what I learned:

• I learned that at 50/50 if he were Vegas, he would have the best odds.

• I learned that even though you don't drink or smoke and even wait for the crosswalk to say "walk" when you are out jogging, you still might get cancer.

• I learned that you mother might have a hard time coping if you have cancer and you father has Alzheimer's at the same time.

• I learned that you refusing to take your mother's calls during this time, might be a pretty dick move.

• I learned that they tried to make his girlfriend out to be a monster, but I didn't feel she was that mean to him.

• I learned that telling someone they can leave and don't have to be with you, might end up with you getting the opposite of what you wanted.

• I learned that if you get a skinny rescue greyhound and you can see his bones, the only logical name for him is Skeletor.

• I learned that after you get cancer that is the time to start smoking pot.

• I learned that pot won't be yours by prescription, but your buddy's because he has bad night vision, something about the rods in his eyes.

• I learned that telling women you have cancers is a good pick up line that you should get into as quickly as possible in a conversation.

• I learned that is actually wrong and just is creepy.

• I learned if you don't try and pick up chicks because of your cancer, your best friend will.

• I learned that if you are writing a piece on a volcano, bust take a while to get it on the air, that volcano my just erupt.

• I learned that if you seem pathetic enough you brand new shrink might fall for you.

• I learned that your shrink might not like you throwing out her dinner with the rest of the trash from her car as you clean it out.

• I learned what you are going through is probably normal, but that doesn't make it any better.

• I learned if you are an artist and no one comes to your opening to buy anything, that is probably a bad thing.

• I learned that it is probably a worse thing if your art is improved with a knife and fire.

• I learned if you have a really bad cancer and the chemo doesn't help, they can do a surgery and tell you everything is fine a few hours later.

• I learned that if you are putting ointments in to your friend's back wound you probably should not use you pinky finger, but the cotton swabs next to you.

• And lastly I learned that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is looking a whole lot like Heath Ledger.

Next up, things I learned in the movie "Real Steel"


Song of the day, give the video a chance, it starts creepy and gets stranger from there.:

Movie Invite for tonight (10/27)

Real Steel it is, not necessarily because it seems like the best movie ever, but it does seem like the best movie out right now.  Joe's pub after work, Merle Hay Mall Theater at 7PM after that.  Shoot a text or drop a message if you think you are coming.

Song of the day, haha a good one I loved hip hop back then:

Things I learned from the movie "Drive"

Went to the movie "Drive" some weeks back.  I really enjoyed it.  A movie about a man that obviously has been there and done that when it comes to the bad things in life, but just can't seem to ever get out of the game even though he seems to be trying to do the right thing.


YAAAAARRRRRR THERE BE SPOILERS DOWN BELOW, SO PROCEED WITH CAUTION. YE HAVE BEEN WARNED, but as you haven't seen this movie yet, you probably never will so read on!

• I learned I think women like men that talk very little. I think Ryan Gosling said 20 words in the first 4 scenes. In the second scene he might not have said one word.

• I learned that even though I am not shocked easily, I found it a little shocking when a woman's head popped off from a shotgun blast.

• Additionally, I learned her head getting popped off was not nearly as shocking as the man with the shotgun getting a towel rod plunged into his jugular so he could bleed to death.

• I learned that I was happy that I did already know the story of the scorpion and the frog.

• I learned that him wearing a scorpion jacket was a little over the top.

• I learned the mixing of '80s sounds and fonts and '10s cars and places was a strange combination.

• I learned that if you get blood on your favorite scorpion jacket, you don't clean it, you just keep wearing it. No one in LA will care.

• I learned that when Ryan Gosling slowly disappeared behind a door, it made me think of Jon Luvitz, and that made me laugh.

• I learned that breaking into you employers office to steal a mask you used in a movie for a stunt so you can kill a guy in the ocean seems like a lot of work that wasn't needed.

• I learned that a 300 with a Hemi will keep up just fine with a Boss Mustang.

• I learned that if you give the next door kid a bullet and tell him to hold onto it, Ryan Gosling will hold onto it for him.

• I learned after hammering the man's hand that gave the kid the bullet he will then contemplate hammering the bullet through the man's forehead.

• I learned that strippers out in California must have really "seen it all" because as they watch their boss get his hand and face hammered they will just sit there like it is another day in the office.

• I learned that if you just pull into a parking garage near the Staples Center as a game is letting out, you can just walk past cops looking for you.

• I learned that some women are surprisingly understanding when you literally stomp a man's head off that was going to kill her. Probably because you just made out with her.

• I learned it is probably a bad idea to do additional business with they guy that broke your hip the last time you did business with him.

• I learned that a tooth pick is vital to the cool vintage look.

• I learned that you get five minutes, anything happened before or after that, not his problem.

• I learned that if you want to impress you neighbor and her kid, take them for a ride down the storm water runoff in LA, then play in the pond at the end.

• I learned that if you recognise Ryan Gosling from a previous job and ask him to be your wheel man again you should shut your mouth or he will kick your teeth down your throat and shut if for you.

• I learned that the interest fee charged by some guys for protection in jail can get out of hand very quickly.

• And lastly I learned that Ron Pearlman couldn't find pussy in a whorehouse.

Next up, things I learned in the movie "50/50"