I called Sophia-as-Zombie, but the execution (pun only partially intended) was good enough that I feel like the show could recapture my interest.
Careful when you assume, Spoons...
I saw Hugo with the Mrs., the Boy and the In-Laws yesterday. Tremendous story and visually great (we saw the 2-d version, thankyouverymuch). Sacha Baron Cohen was remarkably restrained in his role. Kingsley was Kingsley. The kids were solid. And I could have almost sworn that Helen McCrory was Sigourney Weaver.
the Boy raved about Howard Shore's score.
nice to see someone noticing the soundtrack
I saw the Muppet Movie. I've seen a grand total of maybe 4 hours of muppet-related media in my life, but I still enjoyed the movie a lot.
I want to see Hugo, but the wife openly mocked the trailer, so... probably not until netflix.
someday I gotta get a screencap of Ninja Lew
The Muppet Movie was amazing. Only minor quibble was that the Amy Adams character was unnecessary, but I don't mind seeing her sing and dance, so oh well...
My quibble is the "new" Fozzie's voice was a bit off. That, and singing and dancing. Song lyrics weren't even close to as clever as past movies. Runner daughter was tickled by Walter's man-counterpart.
Yes, the song lyrics weren't quite as witty, but I did like the addition of "traveling by map."
yes, one of my favorite parts.
It certainly wasn't a perfect script. There were a few too many fourth-wall references for me, but I pretty much had a grin on my face from beginning to end.
There were a few too many fourth-wall references for me
I somewhat dislike The Great Muppet Caper for just this reason. A couple are funny, but if a movie throws them in every couple of minutes all the way through, it isn't long before I bail on the story.
also saw The Muppet Movie. I enjoyed it (so did the packed local theater filled with kids...everyone left with a smile on their face), but agree with Dread Pirate, Amy Adams wasnt needed.
not even for the dads in the audience?
also, it was a free weekend on U-verse. I managed to avoid most of the pr0n, but I did watch part of an episode of Sportscenter. I fell asleep.
free weekend...IF THEY GAVE IT TO YOU. For some reason, we got nothin', and of course they had no business hours when I tried to call.
We did, and I don't think I've had a moment of REM sleep since Friday. Since we left for my mother-in-law's place on Wednesday night and weren't coming back until Sunday, we had to bring our cats with us. My mother-in-law has a yellow Labrador which is, to put it nicely, spoiled. The heavy door to the backyard is left open, even in winter, so the dog can go outside via a doggie door in the storm door whenever it likes, which is seldom. This means we can't let the cats out of the small bedroom we stay in when we visit. The dog has also been mollycoddled to a such an extent that has grown very timid. Coupled with a lack of intelligence, it would definitely be the omega in any pack of dogs. Our cats haven't taken to being followed around by an overweight, timorous dog, so we try to keep them away from the dog for the dog's own good.
This means tons of excess energy, especially from Charlie, the 3.5 month old kitten we have been fostering for the last month (this is a whole separate issue). Every couple of hours for every night of the entire weekend, Charlie would reenact the Indy 500, tearing around in a circle, up and over our bed, recklessly slamming into walls the way kittens do, simply because he's used to having the basement and first floor at home for his shenanigans. This meant very little uninterrupted sleep for the humans stuck in the same room. Which means I'm grumpy this morning, and since I didn't sleep well last night either, will write 200 words about not sleeping much this weekend.
Likewise, we took our dog with us and she spent most of the weekend in the back bedroom of my grandparent's house. At one point, she and my cousin's daughter (2 years old) scared each other and both ran to the same bedroom for safety. Needless to say, neither one appreciated the other not leaving the "safe room." (Thankfully, our dog didn't get within 3 feet of her and they were buddies within 30 minutes.)
I stayed in the area, and tossed a turkey on the grill. I don't think I'd ever go back to the old way, though I'd like to try brining one (which I think I'll probably do for New Year's)
Every time I hear someone's grilled a turkey I'm reminded that I really need the next larger Weber kettle.
also, I started my turkey breast-side down this year (for the first 90 minutes. If I'd given the bird the full 4 hours I should have, it would have been perfect. Applewood provides a nice, mild smoke flavor.
I can't really say definitively about brine vs. no-brine, but every time I've brined, it's turned out pretty well. Certainly I've had no problem getting crispy skin. (The real enemy of crispy skin is basting, and I subscribe to Alton Brown's charge that basting is evil.) This year I used the recipe from the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook and the bird turned out well, though I would say it wasn't especially exciting, which is fine by me as long as the meat is moist enough, which is was. My only modification was shoving the cavity full of herbs.
I probably overcooked it a bit because I have never really figured out a good way to take the turkey's temp (I mean, I use a thermometer and everything, but it seems like once I have a temp on the thermometer, if I move it a little bit deeper, the temp is a little bit higher, and I don't really know how deep is too deep, for instance, you don't want to go so far as to hit the bone.) The cooking time was about 2 hours and 15 minutes for a 10-12 lb. turkey. I had a roommate who would grill whole turkeys for Thanksgiving, but I was never especially impressed with the result and it seemed like a lot of work.
I've never succeeded in getting a crispy skin on the turkey from the Weber. Moist smoke + brine seems to lend itself to leathery skin.
I would be shocked if Dazzle didn't go in first. The blings the thing, plus he's now the long-time "voice" for the Twins. The new guy can always refer to him as "Twins Hall of Famer."
Bruno, anyone?
Bruno is last generation's Cuddyer. Raise the bar a bit.
That seems to be selling Bruno a smidge short, based on rWAR and power numbers, but I agree the bar should be a little higher. He should still get in before Dazzle.
geez, probably 20 others should get in before Dazzle
Yeah, so much for raising the bar. Sorry about that.
Much as I loved Tovar, I always considered him a bit player. His rWAR was that high?
I made a slight error in my transcription - he was at 22.0 rWAR as a Twin. FanGraphs likes him even more, putting him at 27.8 fWAR as a Twin. A 102 OPS+ in nearly 4600 PA while playing mostly at CF, 3b, and 2b really racks up value. From 1966-1972 he was worth 3.4, 2.8, 4.3, 4.3, 4.4, 3.8, and 2.9 rWAR (3.3, 3.2, 5.3, 5.0, 4.1, 3.8, and 3.0 fWAR, respectively).
The 2012 Twins certainly could use a player like him.
three consecutive years of 4+ rWAR is pretty impressive.
Don't forget he was worth 0.1 rWAR as a pitcher, too!
Does anyone have any experience fighting phone companies? I thought I had cancelled my land line in October with a discount added to my internet to keep me as a customer, but they are now telling me that I couldn't cancel that land line and keep the same price for my DSL service. I feel I was lied to and am now trying to get them to disconnect me altogether without charging me the bs disconnection fee.
Never mind, I just yelled louder, called them liars, told them I was filing a complaint with the BBB and am getting disconnected at no charge.
I was going to say, once it gets to that point, threats are about the only thing they'll listen to.
If I were looking to shore up the rotation and I were Terry Ryan (and this would be one thing I would be looking at if both of those conditions were true), this wouldn't be a terrible place to start, although I'm not entirely confident he wasn't Dusty Baker'd by throwing 196 innings in 2008. But I'll bet it wouldn't cost a whole lot to find out.
And he throws hard, just what the Twins want. But not particularly tall.
It seems his main weakness is walking too many, supposedly the Twins specialty in fixing. Turning him into a reliever could help as well; in that comment thread someone offered the anecdote that he'll be dominant for a few innings and then lose it. Also, he threw 196 innings last year between Cincinnati and Louisville.
Trevor Mbakwe out for the year with a torn ACL. So much for the Gophers hoopsters doing anything this year
So much for the Gophers hoopsters doing anything good this year
ftfy
from the looks of their performance against Dayton, there wasn't much danger anyway.
I think they were winning before he got injured.
They were down by (at least) 10 when he got hurt.
I didn't even notice him getting hurt, because their first-half performance profoundly bored me. I switched over to Sunday Night Football to enjoy Tyler Palko's interpretive dance version of "Quarterbacking".
That is the best description of Palko's performance that could possibly be written.
D*mn...I really liked the potential of this squad.
Gophers have little hopes of doing much now. I just wonder if the NBA hadn't had its labor problems, if Mbakwe would have left for the draft. He might have been a first-round pick (he's on the current list for preseason nomination for player of the year) and now I don't see that happening coming off this injury. This has potentially cost him many millions of dollars. Of course, his legal problems the year before cost him a season to establish himself before the lockout, so that also could be said to cost him millions of dollars.
Twins in on Jonathan Broxton, although it sounds like he wants to be close to Georgia. He only wants a one-year deal to establish his value.
Venison Bourguignon
Had some venison backstrap from the Hnos in the freezer in Scandia. Below are some modifications to a recipe I found in a game cookbook. NBBW says its one of the best meals she's ever had...
1 3/4 venison steak, cut into chunks
Olive oil
2 c. bold Italian red wine
2 c. beef broth
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp crumbled dried thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
4 tbsp butter
3/4 c. pearl onions, cut in half
2 tbsp flour
3/4 tsp salt
Heat oven to 325F. Pat meat dry with paper towels (or make sure you cover - the oil will splash with bloody venison!). In lg skillet, heat enough oil over med-high heat to glaze bottom of skillet. Add enough venison chunks to fit loosely in skillet in a single layer. Brown all sides. Transfer to casserole. Repeat with remaining meat, adding oil as needed. When all meat browned, pour fat from skillet. Add wine, stirring to loosen browned bits.
Pour wine over meat in casserole. Add enough beef stock to almost cover meat (1 1/2 c.) Stir in tomato paste, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Heat over med heat until liquid is simmering. Cover casserole and transfer to oven. Simmer in oven until venison is fork-tender, a couple of hours.
Close-work: When meat is cooking, melt 2 tbsp butter over med heat in lg skillet. After foaming subsides, add mushrooms and cook until golden brown, stirring occasionally - set aside.
In small pan, combine pearl onions with remaining stock; add water if necessary to cover onions about halfway. Simmer over med heat for 10 min; set aside.
In medium bowl, use a fork to blend remaining tbsp butter with the flour; set aside (this from Julia Child I bet).
When meat is tender, remove from casserole and use slotted spoon to transfer meat to a lg bowl. Remove and discard bay leaf. Add 1/4 of the cooking liquid to bowl with butter-flour mixture, whisking until smooth.
Whisk this mixture into liquid in the casserole. Simmer over med heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until slightly thickened, stirring frequently. Return meat to sauce. Add salt, mushrooms, and any juice, and onions with their liquid to the casserole. Simmer for 5 min, stirring occasionally.
Serve with egg noodles and crusty baguette. Pair with wine used to make the sauce. Occupy your kitchen.
what, no pictures?
I had lamb shank at Bouchon today for lunch. Mmmmm. the Mrs had lobster bisque (oooh!); FiL an open-face steak sammich; MiL a fancy ham-n-cheese sammich topped with mornay sauce and a fried egg. I win.
My best friend from culinary school is the sous chef at the Las Vegas Bouchon. Cooking for Chef Keller is pretty good work if you can get it.
Can you get us reservations at The French Laundry?
If somebody wants to cover the plane tickets, I'd see what I could swing.
my 50th is in July 2013. I'm going, damnit.
Oh that sounds good.
Drool...
Gigot d'Agneau, très frais.
I'm thinking that my next Hillary Step with venison = le chevreuil avec les grains de poivre, la crème, et le cognac.
The History Channel actually has a show called Big Shrimpin? Ack.
The History Channel has turned into another cable channel that is all reality shows. belch.
i'm sad to see THC go this route as well. hell, i remember when TLC was still a respectable channel...
And I remember when THC was the active ingredient in marijuana.
Yeah, when I saw hj's comment on the sidebar at the top, I wondered where it was going...
and i wondered if i could suavely use "THC" as an acronym signifying "the history channel" in comparison to "TLC" without people being smartasses. nope. 😉
It took us six hours to make the 3.5-hour trip to Detroit Lakes on Thursday, in part because my three-year-old puked all over herself in the back seat of our van five minutes south of Monticello. Chocolate milk and almonds. Thanks for breakfast, Grandma. I'll never look at a Hershey bar with almonds the same way again. The van smelled like equal parts vomit, egg sandwich and pumpkin pie.
Been there.
The Milkmaid and I were on our way to the symphony one day - our first outing together in probably a year - when Skim projectiled all over the back of the passenger seat and we had to kill the idea of leaving her with the sitters. We were maybe five minutes from being past the point of no return after a three-hour drive. To this day, I wish we'd gotten there five minutes earlier so we'd left a sick kid with The Milkmaid's sister and her husband but were none the wiser.
Oh, and that van smelled terrible for a long time, and after a few cleanings.
One of Mrs. Hayes' favorite stories of my childhood was a time Pops was driving me to St. Cloud, where my mom would pick me up for her half of custody, which I would spend where she lived in Thief River. (We did this exchange every three weeks.) Pops had given me a juice box of orange Hi-C to drink as we drove through the Cities, orange being my favorite color as a kid. We were in the fast lane on a 6-lane portion of road when the following conversation transpired:
Me: Dad, I'm going to throw up.
Pops [concentrating on traffic]: What?
Me: *huuuuuaaaaggggghhhhhh*
Pops always told this story with great humor, although my impromptu redecoration of his Buick Regal certainly wasn't funny at the time. I have the sense you're the same kind of dad.
My parents provided me with one of those 5-qt ice cream buckets for long car rides. We. Did. Not. Stop.
Surprisingly, I hate long car rides now.
While I love road trips. Thanks to those tri-weekly 8-hour trips I have a bladder of carbon steel.
I wasn't emptying my bladder into that bucket, but we didn't really stop for that function either.
the smells of wet dog, stale coffee, and cigarettes in a closed car just might have added a little extra twist to my issues with motion sickness back in the day. I've never had a problem with roller coasters, for instance.
Both Walking Dead and Boardwalk Empire did enough last night to make me not complain for a week, or in Walking Dead's case until February.
Walking Dead did right by me with that final sequence.
Careful when you assume, Spoons...
I saw Hugo with the Mrs., the Boy and the In-Laws yesterday. Tremendous story and visually great (we saw the 2-d version, thankyouverymuch). Sacha Baron Cohen was remarkably restrained in his role. Kingsley was Kingsley. The kids were solid. And I could have almost sworn that Helen McCrory was Sigourney Weaver.
the Boy raved about Howard Shore's score.
nice to see someone noticing the soundtrack
I saw the Muppet Movie. I've seen a grand total of maybe 4 hours of muppet-related media in my life, but I still enjoyed the movie a lot.
I want to see Hugo, but the wife openly mocked the trailer, so... probably not until netflix.
someday I gotta get a screencap of Ninja Lew
The Muppet Movie was amazing. Only minor quibble was that the Amy Adams character was unnecessary, but I don't mind seeing her sing and dance, so oh well...
My quibble is the "new" Fozzie's voice was a bit off. That, and singing and dancing. Song lyrics weren't even close to as clever as past movies. Runner daughter was tickled by Walter's man-counterpart.
Yes, the song lyrics weren't quite as witty, but I did like the addition of "traveling by map."
yes, one of my favorite parts.
It certainly wasn't a perfect script. There were a few too many fourth-wall references for me, but I pretty much had a grin on my face from beginning to end.
There were a few too many fourth-wall references for me
I somewhat dislike The Great Muppet Caper for just this reason. A couple are funny, but if a movie throws them in every couple of minutes all the way through, it isn't long before I bail on the story.
also saw The Muppet Movie. I enjoyed it (so did the packed local theater filled with kids...everyone left with a smile on their face), but agree with Dread Pirate, Amy Adams wasnt needed.
not even for the dads in the audience?
also, it was a free weekend on U-verse. I managed to avoid most of the pr0n, but I did watch part of an episode of Sportscenter. I fell asleep.
free weekend...IF THEY GAVE IT TO YOU. For some reason, we got nothin', and of course they had no business hours when I tried to call.
We did, and I don't think I've had a moment of REM sleep since Friday. Since we left for my mother-in-law's place on Wednesday night and weren't coming back until Sunday, we had to bring our cats with us. My mother-in-law has a yellow Labrador which is, to put it nicely, spoiled. The heavy door to the backyard is left open, even in winter, so the dog can go outside via a doggie door in the storm door whenever it likes, which is seldom. This means we can't let the cats out of the small bedroom we stay in when we visit. The dog has also been mollycoddled to a such an extent that has grown very timid. Coupled with a lack of intelligence, it would definitely be the omega in any pack of dogs. Our cats haven't taken to being followed around by an overweight, timorous dog, so we try to keep them away from the dog for the dog's own good.
This means tons of excess energy, especially from Charlie, the 3.5 month old kitten we have been fostering for the last month (this is a whole separate issue). Every couple of hours for every night of the entire weekend, Charlie would reenact the Indy 500, tearing around in a circle, up and over our bed, recklessly slamming into walls the way kittens do, simply because he's used to having the basement and first floor at home for his shenanigans. This meant very little uninterrupted sleep for the humans stuck in the same room. Which means I'm grumpy this morning, and since I didn't sleep well last night either, will write 200 words about not sleeping much this weekend.
Likewise, we took our dog with us and she spent most of the weekend in the back bedroom of my grandparent's house. At one point, she and my cousin's daughter (2 years old) scared each other and both ran to the same bedroom for safety. Needless to say, neither one appreciated the other not leaving the "safe room." (Thankfully, our dog didn't get within 3 feet of her and they were buddies within 30 minutes.)
I stayed in the area, and tossed a turkey on the grill. I don't think I'd ever go back to the old way, though I'd like to try brining one (which I think I'll probably do for New Year's)
Every time I hear someone's grilled a turkey I'm reminded that I really need the next larger Weber kettle.
I am a big fan of brining, although Harold McGee begs to differ
also, I started my turkey breast-side down this year (for the first 90 minutes. If I'd given the bird the full 4 hours I should have, it would have been perfect. Applewood provides a nice, mild smoke flavor.
I can't really say definitively about brine vs. no-brine, but every time I've brined, it's turned out pretty well. Certainly I've had no problem getting crispy skin. (The real enemy of crispy skin is basting, and I subscribe to Alton Brown's charge that basting is evil.) This year I used the recipe from the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook and the bird turned out well, though I would say it wasn't especially exciting, which is fine by me as long as the meat is moist enough, which is was. My only modification was shoving the cavity full of herbs.
I probably overcooked it a bit because I have never really figured out a good way to take the turkey's temp (I mean, I use a thermometer and everything, but it seems like once I have a temp on the thermometer, if I move it a little bit deeper, the temp is a little bit higher, and I don't really know how deep is too deep, for instance, you don't want to go so far as to hit the bone.) The cooking time was about 2 hours and 15 minutes for a 10-12 lb. turkey. I had a roommate who would grill whole turkeys for Thanksgiving, but I was never especially impressed with the result and it seemed like a lot of work.
I've never succeeded in getting a crispy skin on the turkey from the Weber. Moist smoke + brine seems to lend itself to leathery skin.
dang, 5-for-8
2012 Twins HOF ballot
Bruno, anyone?
Bruno is last generation's Cuddyer. Raise the bar a bit.
That seems to be selling Bruno a smidge short, based on rWAR and power numbers, but I agree the bar should be a little higher. He should still get in before Dazzle.
geez, probably 20 others should get in before Dazzle
Yeah, so much for raising the bar. Sorry about that.
Yeah, but with an awesome mustache.
I'm fine with a larger Twins HoF as long as the club continues the practice of pretty exclusive number retirement and iconolatry.
I made a slight error in my transcription - he was at 22.0 rWAR as a Twin. FanGraphs likes him even more, putting him at 27.8 fWAR as a Twin. A 102 OPS+ in nearly 4600 PA while playing mostly at CF, 3b, and 2b really racks up value. From 1966-1972 he was worth 3.4, 2.8, 4.3, 4.3, 4.4, 3.8, and 2.9 rWAR (3.3, 3.2, 5.3, 5.0, 4.1, 3.8, and 3.0 fWAR, respectively).
The 2012 Twins certainly could use a player like him.
three consecutive years of 4+ rWAR is pretty impressive.
Don't forget he was worth 0.1 rWAR as a pitcher, too!
Also, I noticed that
is running away with the facebook vote.
Does anyone have any experience fighting phone companies? I thought I had cancelled my land line in October with a discount added to my internet to keep me as a customer, but they are now telling me that I couldn't cancel that land line and keep the same price for my DSL service. I feel I was lied to and am now trying to get them to disconnect me altogether without charging me the bs disconnection fee.
Never mind, I just yelled louder, called them liars, told them I was filing a complaint with the BBB and am getting disconnected at no charge.
I was going to say, once it gets to that point, threats are about the only thing they'll listen to.
You don't need an NFL team in L.A. to have a "melee" in the Southland.
If I were looking to shore up the rotation and I were Terry Ryan (and this would be one thing I would be looking at if both of those conditions were true), this wouldn't be a terrible place to start, although I'm not entirely confident he wasn't Dusty Baker'd by throwing 196 innings in 2008. But I'll bet it wouldn't cost a whole lot to find out.
And he throws hard, just what the Twins want. But not particularly tall.
It seems his main weakness is walking too many, supposedly the Twins specialty in fixing. Turning him into a reliever could help as well; in that comment thread someone offered the anecdote that he'll be dominant for a few innings and then lose it. Also, he threw 196 innings last year between Cincinnati and Louisville.
Trevor Mbakwe out for the year with a torn ACL. So much for the Gophers hoopsters doing anything this year
So much for the Gophers hoopsters doing anything good this year
ftfy
from the looks of their performance against Dayton, there wasn't much danger anyway.
I think they were winning before he got injured.
They were down by (at least) 10 when he got hurt.
I didn't even notice him getting hurt, because their first-half performance profoundly bored me. I switched over to Sunday Night Football to enjoy Tyler Palko's interpretive dance version of "Quarterbacking".
That is the best description of Palko's performance that could possibly be written.
D*mn...I really liked the potential of this squad.
Gophers have little hopes of doing much now. I just wonder if the NBA hadn't had its labor problems, if Mbakwe would have left for the draft. He might have been a first-round pick (he's on the current list for preseason nomination for player of the year) and now I don't see that happening coming off this injury. This has potentially cost him many millions of dollars. Of course, his legal problems the year before cost him a season to establish himself before the lockout, so that also could be said to cost him millions of dollars.
Twins in on Jonathan Broxton, although it sounds like he wants to be close to Georgia. He only wants a one-year deal to establish his value.
Venison Bourguignon
Had some venison backstrap from the Hnos in the freezer in Scandia. Below are some modifications to a recipe I found in a game cookbook. NBBW says its one of the best meals she's ever had...
1 3/4 venison steak, cut into chunks
Olive oil
2 c. bold Italian red wine
2 c. beef broth
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp crumbled dried thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
4 tbsp butter
3/4 c. pearl onions, cut in half
2 tbsp flour
3/4 tsp salt
Heat oven to 325F. Pat meat dry with paper towels (or make sure you cover - the oil will splash with bloody venison!). In lg skillet, heat enough oil over med-high heat to glaze bottom of skillet. Add enough venison chunks to fit loosely in skillet in a single layer. Brown all sides. Transfer to casserole. Repeat with remaining meat, adding oil as needed. When all meat browned, pour fat from skillet. Add wine, stirring to loosen browned bits.
Pour wine over meat in casserole. Add enough beef stock to almost cover meat (1 1/2 c.) Stir in tomato paste, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Heat over med heat until liquid is simmering. Cover casserole and transfer to oven. Simmer in oven until venison is fork-tender, a couple of hours.
Close-work: When meat is cooking, melt 2 tbsp butter over med heat in lg skillet. After foaming subsides, add mushrooms and cook until golden brown, stirring occasionally - set aside.
In small pan, combine pearl onions with remaining stock; add water if necessary to cover onions about halfway. Simmer over med heat for 10 min; set aside.
In medium bowl, use a fork to blend remaining tbsp butter with the flour; set aside (this from Julia Child I bet).
When meat is tender, remove from casserole and use slotted spoon to transfer meat to a lg bowl. Remove and discard bay leaf. Add 1/4 of the cooking liquid to bowl with butter-flour mixture, whisking until smooth.
Whisk this mixture into liquid in the casserole. Simmer over med heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until slightly thickened, stirring frequently. Return meat to sauce. Add salt, mushrooms, and any juice, and onions with their liquid to the casserole. Simmer for 5 min, stirring occasionally.
Serve with egg noodles and crusty baguette. Pair with wine used to make the sauce. Occupy your kitchen.
what, no pictures?
I had lamb shank at Bouchon today for lunch. Mmmmm. the Mrs had lobster bisque (oooh!); FiL an open-face steak sammich; MiL a fancy ham-n-cheese sammich topped with mornay sauce and a fried egg. I win.
My best friend from culinary school is the sous chef at the Las Vegas Bouchon. Cooking for Chef Keller is pretty good work if you can get it.
Can you get us reservations at The French Laundry?
If somebody wants to cover the plane tickets, I'd see what I could swing.
my 50th is in July 2013. I'm going, damnit.
Oh that sounds good.
Drool...
Gigot d'Agneau, très frais.
I'm thinking that my next Hillary Step with venison = le chevreuil avec les grains de poivre, la crème, et le cognac.
Before my next business trip, I will use my iron.
so you have a flat page with nothing that stands out?
It's almost like you two worked this one out beforehand...
OK, wow. I won't fix the original link. Here is what I meant to link to.
*see above
that's almost as good as the original, AMR.
Newsworthy!
The History Channel actually has a show called Big Shrimpin? Ack.
The History Channel has turned into another cable channel that is all reality shows. belch.
i'm sad to see THC go this route as well. hell, i remember when TLC was still a respectable channel...
And I remember when THC was the active ingredient in marijuana.
Yeah, when I saw hj's comment on the sidebar at the top, I wondered where it was going...
and i wondered if i could suavely use "THC" as an acronym signifying "the history channel" in comparison to "TLC" without people being smartasses. nope. 😉
It took us six hours to make the 3.5-hour trip to Detroit Lakes on Thursday, in part because my three-year-old puked all over herself in the back seat of our van five minutes south of Monticello. Chocolate milk and almonds. Thanks for breakfast, Grandma. I'll never look at a Hershey bar with almonds the same way again. The van smelled like equal parts vomit, egg sandwich and pumpkin pie.
Been there.
The Milkmaid and I were on our way to the symphony one day - our first outing together in probably a year - when Skim projectiled all over the back of the passenger seat and we had to kill the idea of leaving her with the sitters. We were maybe five minutes from being past the point of no return after a three-hour drive. To this day, I wish we'd gotten there five minutes earlier so we'd left a sick kid with The Milkmaid's sister and her husband but were none the wiser.
Oh, and that van smelled terrible for a long time, and after a few cleanings.
One of Mrs. Hayes' favorite stories of my childhood was a time Pops was driving me to St. Cloud, where my mom would pick me up for her half of custody, which I would spend where she lived in Thief River. (We did this exchange every three weeks.) Pops had given me a juice box of orange Hi-C to drink as we drove through the Cities, orange being my favorite color as a kid. We were in the fast lane on a 6-lane portion of road when the following conversation transpired:
Me: Dad, I'm going to throw up.
Pops [concentrating on traffic]: What?
Me: *huuuuuaaaaggggghhhhhh*
Pops always told this story with great humor, although my impromptu redecoration of his Buick Regal certainly wasn't funny at the time. I have the sense you're the same kind of dad.
My parents provided me with one of those 5-qt ice cream buckets for long car rides. We. Did. Not. Stop.
Surprisingly, I hate long car rides now.
While I love road trips. Thanks to those tri-weekly 8-hour trips I have a bladder of carbon steel.
I wasn't emptying my bladder into that bucket, but we didn't really stop for that function either.
the smells of wet dog, stale coffee, and cigarettes in a closed car just might have added a little extra twist to my issues with motion sickness back in the day. I've never had a problem with roller coasters, for instance.