Cano and Russell Martin each just hit grand slams in back to back innings, taking the 10-7 lead, rallying from a 7-1 deficit. This will call for another rendition of mid-day Cocktail Recipe of the Week...
Rum Punch
1 oz. Rum (not spiced)
1.5 oz. Coconut Rum
.5 oz. Triple Sec
4 oz. Pineapple Juice
Squeeze of Lemon Juice
Shake all ingredients together, serve in a tall glass.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
NBA’s Best Wish to Play For China…But Why?
Recently it was announced that the CBA, the Chinese Basketball Association, would not allow players with prior contracts to play for their league in the chance that the NBA season is cancelled due to lockout. Players such as Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Paul have expressed interest in playing in China. The CBA however, will allow unsigned free-agents to play, as long as they finish one complete season in the league.
Apparently, the CBA saw how the American Olympic team has played in past years, and decided that American players would only hinder their league.
But why would these star NBA players wish to play for the CBA?
Maybe:
1) Rather than chilling with their boys post-game in the Meat-Packing district, they will get the VIP treatment in the Fish-Packing District?
 |
2) To learn new basketball rules, such as, what travelling means? Maybe they will learn how to play when all the fouls that are called aren’t in YOUR benefit.
 |
| "Are you kidding ref? You want me to dribble how often??" |
3) To unite our nations together. To end the constant fears of economic takeover by our Communist cousins in the Orient. It worked for Rocky, right?
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Awesome Interview with Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa really tells it like it is here. Great interview! I love how Twisted Sister gets included in the "Dirty Music" category. People need to relax, its a parents responsibility to monitor what their children listen to. Everyone else can just decide NOT to listen.
"Kiss my ass!"-Frank Zappa
"Kiss my ass!"-Frank Zappa
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
MST3K - Hobgoblins
MST3K - Hobgoblins
One of my favorite episodes of Mystery Science Theatre! This is the full movie... Check it out!
Things That Terrify Me: Muppet Arms
Yes! Muppet-Arms. The thought of those lifeless, metal-wire controlled extremities with stiff unmoving digits brings a shudder to my spine.
I don't know exactly when this phobia started. I was always very curious about the arms of muppets as a kid. They're skinny, not proportionate, and only move in rigid and wild motions. "But hey!" you say. "The Muppets? They're so cute and funny, and hey, they have personalities just like you and me".
But they don't have control over their crazy arms!
I've been doing some research about muppet arms and it turns out that the all the scary muppets ie. Kermit, Gonzo, Elmo, and Grover are all "hand-rod muppets", a so-called innovation in puppet creation that was invented by none other than Jim Henson. Why would he invent muppets with deformed, toothpick arms that flap around uncontrollably?
Apparently, the term muppet-arms also has more meaning. According to urbandictionary.com:
 |
| Get away from me psycho-muppet! |
I don't know exactly when this phobia started. I was always very curious about the arms of muppets as a kid. They're skinny, not proportionate, and only move in rigid and wild motions. "But hey!" you say. "The Muppets? They're so cute and funny, and hey, they have personalities just like you and me".
But they don't have control over their crazy arms!
I've been doing some research about muppet arms and it turns out that the all the scary muppets ie. Kermit, Gonzo, Elmo, and Grover are all "hand-rod muppets", a so-called innovation in puppet creation that was invented by none other than Jim Henson. Why would he invent muppets with deformed, toothpick arms that flap around uncontrollably?
| Imagine these arms poking at you in your sleep. The muppets mouth agape, like some kind of crazed fuzzy sociopath. I need a shower just thinking of it. |
Apparently, the term muppet-arms also has more meaning. According to urbandictionary.com:
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Cocktail Recipe of the Week: Bloody Maria
 |
| Robbie Cano just hit a grand slam...this calls for a celebration. |
1.5 oz Tequila (silver)
1/2 cup Clamato Tomato Cocktail
Juice of half a lime
A few dashes of hot sauce (tabasco works best, but any ol' hot sauce will do)
coarsely ground pepper (trick:if you have a pepper mill, loosen that little knob on the top to get coarser pepper)
Fill cocktail shaker with ice, add all ingredients and shake.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Cowboys and Aliens, and Vitamin Water, and Ticket Kiosk Machines Etc.Etc.
The journey to Cowboys and Aliens started early in the day. I needed to drop my car off to our family mechanic to have an oil change done, and to also have my air conditioning looked at. Turns out, the air conditioning problem is some kind of weird electronic one, where the computer tells the mechanics equipment that the A/C is on without it being on. Skynet baby, just you watch. This thing only wants to work when it's mildly warm outside. Where is it when you can feel the sweat pool behind your knees collect and make a small crawl all the way down your socks? Yeah, Skynet.
Anyways, the day was a fun one. Chris Williams came over complete with a self-made cornhole set, which was very confusing to me when this was discussed over the phone. Turns out it's that game with two wood planks with a hole cut out that each team throws beanbags at; the goal being to throw your beanbag in the hole. Cornhole.
After dinner and a few beers we decided to go see a movie. It was a choice between Captain America and Cowboys and Aliens. Although I remember wanting to see Cowboys and Aliens, I had heard it was a huge stinkbomb. But I had already seen Captain America, which was surprisingly good. I wouldn't have minded seeing Captain America again, honestly. It's a movie made to watch after a day of Mid-West leisure sports, six-packs of beer and charred meats over the grill.
We finally decided on Cowboys and Aliens. First we needed something to drink. So we decided on vitamin waters, because in an inebriated state what is better than vitamin water? It's got vitamins in it.
We went to the high-tech movie theatre at the Deer Park Outlets. For those who haven't been there, it's designed like a modern-outdoor-mall-city, almost like what you find walking through a casino in Vegas. It's got all the rich shoppes and higher end fast-food restaurants like Caesar's Palace does, with the same sort of design, but just outdoors. It's a contradiction of a location, much like our movie, but more on that in a bit.
Unable to deal with a cashier clerk, or wait patiently through a short line, we decided to buy our tickets at the side credit card kiosk. We walked into our theatre just in time. In time for ten minutes of the high-production value commercials that Coca-Cola and General Motors rolls out only in movie theatres, free of the broadcast time limits that television puts on them. When one is three sheets in the wind, these commercials are fascinating to watch. They trick you into thinking they are the new badass summer movie, only to reveal that they just want to sell you a Beamer.
Then the trailers start...and for twenty minutes you forget what movie you are even there to see in the first place.
It finally starts. And at first, it's very good.
Daniel Craig plays your typical Western hero, the man-with-no-name. There is a definitive Western feel, with of course a high-budget, but all the factors are their. Harrison Ford plays Dolarhyde (a cool Western name) as a gruff ex-colonel who is tough as nails and runs the town of Absolution by way of his cattle business. Because of course, the one who runs the cattle also gets to boss the town around; it's one of those cliche western deals that I never quite understood...oh well.
The first twenty minutes are near perfection. Daniel Craig pulls if off playing the tough cowboy character and Director Jon Favreau immerses the audiences immediately into this Western-genre film. But wait...there's aliens??
And not some pod people aliens or something. They are two-legged behemoths with the physical build of a WWE Heavyweight and the skin of an iguana, they are basically man-guanas. They also have an obligatory chest cavity that folds out to reveal a pair of slimy three-fingered hands that are only there apparently to feel up the young boys of the movie.
After twenty minutes they show up and boy does the movie change. Daniel Craig starts to talk. Unfortunately he shouldn't, his accent sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the other actors who try their best to throw on a Western drawl in their accents. Gruffly played Harrison Ford goes soft, and becomes the films father-figure. Sam Rockwell can't shoot a gun, but hmm, I wonder if he'll learn how to shoot by the end of the movie? That's the thing, after only a few short minutes and when the aliens are introduced the movie goes by the numbers, hitting every cliche of each Western and Alien-Invasion genres of movies. What could've been a really cool blend of the genres, something truly different and original, becomes a standard big-budget and bloated camp-fest. It's a shame really, because the actors involved are all very good and deserve better. Jon Favreau has proven his directing chops in the past with Iron Man, but here, he can't control the swerves that the film's script gives him.
Speaking of the script, it is downright awful. For instance, later in the film, Olivia Wilde's character asks Daniel Craig to take off the bracelet he is wearing. Up to that point, he hasn't figured out how to take it off, but knows how to use it as a weapon against the aliens....so, she tells him to simply "think about" taking it off and it will come off. Then she kisses him, and it comes off. The problem here is that in the first scene he tries desperately to take the thing off by smashing it with a rock. Wouldn't he have been thinking about taking it off as he smashes away at it???
I don't remember seeing a movie that made me miss the trailers when the projector started.
I give Cowboys and Aliens a very disappointing one and a half starts (out of four).
| Skynet. Just watch when it becomes self-aware. Maybe they'll do Terminator and Shaka Zuku Tribesmen next. Directed by Jon Favreau, Produced by Steven Spielberg, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and the dude from Amistad. |
 |
| Oh. That cornhole. You have to get your beanbag into the hole. |
After dinner and a few beers we decided to go see a movie. It was a choice between Captain America and Cowboys and Aliens. Although I remember wanting to see Cowboys and Aliens, I had heard it was a huge stinkbomb. But I had already seen Captain America, which was surprisingly good. I wouldn't have minded seeing Captain America again, honestly. It's a movie made to watch after a day of Mid-West leisure sports, six-packs of beer and charred meats over the grill.
We went to the high-tech movie theatre at the Deer Park Outlets. For those who haven't been there, it's designed like a modern-outdoor-mall-city, almost like what you find walking through a casino in Vegas. It's got all the rich shoppes and higher end fast-food restaurants like Caesar's Palace does, with the same sort of design, but just outdoors. It's a contradiction of a location, much like our movie, but more on that in a bit.
Unable to deal with a cashier clerk, or wait patiently through a short line, we decided to buy our tickets at the side credit card kiosk. We walked into our theatre just in time. In time for ten minutes of the high-production value commercials that Coca-Cola and General Motors rolls out only in movie theatres, free of the broadcast time limits that television puts on them. When one is three sheets in the wind, these commercials are fascinating to watch. They trick you into thinking they are the new badass summer movie, only to reveal that they just want to sell you a Beamer.
Then the trailers start...and for twenty minutes you forget what movie you are even there to see in the first place.
It finally starts. And at first, it's very good.
Daniel Craig plays your typical Western hero, the man-with-no-name. There is a definitive Western feel, with of course a high-budget, but all the factors are their. Harrison Ford plays Dolarhyde (a cool Western name) as a gruff ex-colonel who is tough as nails and runs the town of Absolution by way of his cattle business. Because of course, the one who runs the cattle also gets to boss the town around; it's one of those cliche western deals that I never quite understood...oh well.
The first twenty minutes are near perfection. Daniel Craig pulls if off playing the tough cowboy character and Director Jon Favreau immerses the audiences immediately into this Western-genre film. But wait...there's aliens??
And not some pod people aliens or something. They are two-legged behemoths with the physical build of a WWE Heavyweight and the skin of an iguana, they are basically man-guanas. They also have an obligatory chest cavity that folds out to reveal a pair of slimy three-fingered hands that are only there apparently to feel up the young boys of the movie.
After twenty minutes they show up and boy does the movie change. Daniel Craig starts to talk. Unfortunately he shouldn't, his accent sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the other actors who try their best to throw on a Western drawl in their accents. Gruffly played Harrison Ford goes soft, and becomes the films father-figure. Sam Rockwell can't shoot a gun, but hmm, I wonder if he'll learn how to shoot by the end of the movie? That's the thing, after only a few short minutes and when the aliens are introduced the movie goes by the numbers, hitting every cliche of each Western and Alien-Invasion genres of movies. What could've been a really cool blend of the genres, something truly different and original, becomes a standard big-budget and bloated camp-fest. It's a shame really, because the actors involved are all very good and deserve better. Jon Favreau has proven his directing chops in the past with Iron Man, but here, he can't control the swerves that the film's script gives him.
| Just think about taking it off dude. Easy as that. |
I don't remember seeing a movie that made me miss the trailers when the projector started.
I give Cowboys and Aliens a very disappointing one and a half starts (out of four).
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Brittany's Birthday Menu
 |
| Chicken Saltimbocca with Lemon Risotto and Grilled Zucchini |
Ok first off...
Monday, August 1, 2011
Perfect Idiot-Proof Pasta Dish
Ingredients:
1 lb. ziti or penne
1/2 lb. hot italian sausage
1 cup zucchini, or summer squash, or both
1 cup grape tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped red pepper (fresh or roasted)
basil (about a handful, chopped)
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 a lemon (juice and zest)
1/4 cup red wine
olive oil
red pepper flake
ground thyme
salt and pepper
1.Remove the casing from the sausage and cook in a frying pan till browned, 6-8 minutes.
2.Reserve the sausage; pour wine into pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the little charred bits of sausage.
3.Add a little olive oil to the pan on medium heat and then put the combination of garlic, onion, pepper and zucchini. Add salt and pepper and red pepper flake. Stir frequently for two minutes to coat all the vegetables, add grape tomatoes.
4.Meanwhile, cook your pasta according to directions on box. Salt the boiling water RIGHT before you add the pasta ALWAYS.
4.When zucchini is softened, add a dash of ground thyme to the vegetables plus the sausage that was reserved.
5.When pasta is done, add one ladle full of pasta water to the sausage and veggies before draining. When pasta is drained add the pasta to the frying pan. Toss the pasta with the meat and veggies to coat. Add the zest of half a lemon and its juice, and chopped basil. Toss pasta and plate. Grate fresh parmigiano-reggiano on top of plates.
Great thing about this recipe is its versatility. In the summer this is perfect with zucchini or summer squash, or even some shrimp thrown in. In the winter you could substitute with some broccoli rabe, plain broccoli or cauliflour. Maybe even try some pumpkin and substitute with some nutmeg. Instead of italian sausage you can go with chorizo for some extra spice or even keep it simple with some bacon or pancetta (uncured Italian bacon). Anyways I will be making this again in the near future and will try to either post a video or pics of the recipe.
1 lb. ziti or penne
1/2 lb. hot italian sausage
1 cup zucchini, or summer squash, or both
1 cup grape tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped red pepper (fresh or roasted)
basil (about a handful, chopped)
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 a lemon (juice and zest)
1/4 cup red wine
olive oil
red pepper flake
ground thyme
salt and pepper
1.Remove the casing from the sausage and cook in a frying pan till browned, 6-8 minutes.
2.Reserve the sausage; pour wine into pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the little charred bits of sausage.
3.Add a little olive oil to the pan on medium heat and then put the combination of garlic, onion, pepper and zucchini. Add salt and pepper and red pepper flake. Stir frequently for two minutes to coat all the vegetables, add grape tomatoes.
4.Meanwhile, cook your pasta according to directions on box. Salt the boiling water RIGHT before you add the pasta ALWAYS.
4.When zucchini is softened, add a dash of ground thyme to the vegetables plus the sausage that was reserved.
5.When pasta is done, add one ladle full of pasta water to the sausage and veggies before draining. When pasta is drained add the pasta to the frying pan. Toss the pasta with the meat and veggies to coat. Add the zest of half a lemon and its juice, and chopped basil. Toss pasta and plate. Grate fresh parmigiano-reggiano on top of plates.
Great thing about this recipe is its versatility. In the summer this is perfect with zucchini or summer squash, or even some shrimp thrown in. In the winter you could substitute with some broccoli rabe, plain broccoli or cauliflour. Maybe even try some pumpkin and substitute with some nutmeg. Instead of italian sausage you can go with chorizo for some extra spice or even keep it simple with some bacon or pancetta (uncured Italian bacon). Anyways I will be making this again in the near future and will try to either post a video or pics of the recipe.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)