Tag Archives: WGOM featured

June 2023 Movie Post

As I mentioned in the Cup the other day, I managed to get caught up with and watch the Ted Lasso series finale the day it was released. That's just big for me, since I haven't seen a finale on the day of release in a long time. I was a little ways behind on Game of Thrones and The Good Place, and other than that, we probably have to go back a decade. For some reason, I really wanted to do that with Ted - I think because, at least in my little middle-aged white male bubble, this show really seems to have been so much of an antidote to the current zeitgeist.

It was a show about connection in a time when we were all distanced from each other. A show about people from all over the world coming together when so many are caught up in nationalism. A show about forgiveness when so many are quick to judge and condemn.

I saw a number of headlines/first paragraphs of articles as this season was going that made it clear the trendy thing to do was to be upset with this season. And, admittedly, there were a few problems (namely the bloated episode length - a little bit of editing would have gone a long way). But those problems weren't the main thrust of these articles - they were hating on Ted Lasso because they were Nathan Shelley at the end of Season 2. This show made them feel everything warm and happy, even when bad things were happening, they just felt so spoken to. But Season 3? It didn't start that way. It was messy and followed lots of other people and things weren't so great, and then Zava shows up, and we don't care about that guy at all, and wasn't Ted going to work his magic on Zava, but no, that's not the way it really works. It wasn't what we wanted it to be.

At least, not yet. And maybe it was just hearing that this was the end of the series, but for some reason - even with my little complaints - I trusted the writers. And the criticism really bothered me. Ultimately, I feel like the writers knew what they were doing. Wandering around for a little while really helped those last 3 or 4 episodes nail what Ted had been and could be. I left feeling very satisfied. And I appreciated that they left most characters at a beginning, not an end. Yes, a few things got left on the table (couldn't you just see Ted wishing he had been able to help Rupert? Man, that would be some juicy conflict!). But in the end, I think the writers brought it home.

Trust the writers. Or, rather... believe.

Friday Music Day: The 90’s

The Current just wrapped up their list of the top 893 songs of the 90's.

So it seemed an opportune time to ask for everyone else's top 10 song sof the '90's.

Their top 10:
10. Fade Into You - Mazzy Star
9. Criminal - Fiona Apple
8. Losing My Religion - REM
7. Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve
6. Everlong - Foo Fighters
5. Zombie - The Cranberries
4. Loser - Beck
3. Sabotage - Beastie Boys
2. You Oughta Know - Alanis Morissette
1. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana

Gumbo z’herbes changed my life…..

Okay, not really, but! But! this dish proves that kale isn't a joke being played on us by the hip kids. (As you may may have guessed, I'm a kale skeptic, but this was super delish) I adapted this recipe from here.

You'll need - ->

  • 3tablespoons vegetable oil
  • one link of smoked cajun sausage diced - or some tasso
  • 1yellow onion, diced
  • 2shallots, minced
  • 2garlic cloves, minced
  • 1jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
  • couple dashes Worcester sauce
  • a dash or two of your favorite cajun seasoning blend -Cajun Two Step, Tony C's are great but dial down additional salt,  Donnies spice mix is also great
  • 8ounces fresh spinach
  • 1bunch fresh curly kale, large stems removed
  • 2cups vegetable stock, fish stock or clam juice
  • 1(14-ounce) can coconut milk - I used light instead
  • 1pound fresh or frozen okra, trimmed and cut into ¼-inch pieces
  • 3medium Yukon Gold or other yellow potatoes, diced
  • 1tablespoon filé powder
  • 1tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 1pound head-on prawns or shrimp, peeled and deveined - I used Louisiana brown gulf shrimp  and I highly recommend that you do as well or at least try to find domestic shrimp to avoid engaging in slave labor practices rife in international shrimping.........
  • ½pound lump crab meat (preferably Dungeness crab) -blue swimming crab meat is a-okay here
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • Cooked white rice, for serving
  • Lemon wedges, for serving
  • Crystal hot sauce for serving

Method - ->

slice and dice the onion, shallot, garlic, and jalapeño (seed and devein if you're worried about heat). Chop up the sausage into tiny bits. Heat a bit of oil in a dutch oven or deep soup pot. Brown the sausage and remove from the pan, add the onion, shallot, jalapeño, garlic, dash of Worcester, pinch of salt, black pepper, and cajun seasoning (The spice level is a dealer's choice thing, you do you). Add a bit more oil and sauté until veg is translucent and soft. Add the kale, spinach, 1 1/2 cup water, 2 cups stock, and one can of light coconut milk (you can use the unleaded type here and the end product will be .... extra) and wilt the greens (5-10 minutes over medium heat). Remove the greens to a blender (or use your immersion blender) and add a cup (or more) of the pot liquor and blend the greens until smooth. I used a vitamix to really, truly ensure that I wouldn't encounter a single, recognizable piece of kale when finally consuming this dish.......Return the puree to the pot, stir to combine, add potato dice and simmer until the potato is tender - about 10 minutes or so. Add the shrimp and continue to simmer until the shrimp are cooked through. Add tiger file and thyme,  and rinse the crab meat, remove the pot from the heat, add the crab meat and ring the dinner bell. Adjust for salt, serve over rice with lemon. Kale, not all bad. I still skipped the okra. Okra is still gross.

Coins, Golf Balls

Since my hospitalization last year, I've been trying things to build back stomach and other muscles.

The first exercise was 20 Coins.  I have a dish of miscellaneous foreign coins that I pour on the floor, and have to pick up one at a time, alternating hands.

The most recent one I'm doing now is picking golf balls out of a bowl at the base of the stairs, the "cup" being exactly 4 inches deep.  So I have to bend down further than I'm used to.  I found that on a recent trip to Vail that I didn't have the range of motion to get the ball out of the cup after putting.  So after 3 days now I'm up to 6 golf balls!  My goal is 18 balls.

The World’s Greatest Online Magazine Presents The Half-Baked Podcast: 15. New Guys

Well, there's certainly been a flurry (not "Fleury") of activity on the Twins' 40 man. First, we pause a bit to reflect on the state of the Wild season, then dive into the Arraez trade. We were about to wind things down, but then news of the Taylor trade came in and Nibbish ran across town to discuss that trade with us.

We also had some time to go over some recent videos, such as:

Father John Misty - Buddy's Rendezvous

Radiohead - Let Down

The Specials - Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)

WGOM Eats Out, Hollywood 1941

 

This February 1941 menu (click to embiggen) for the Warner Bros. Studio Cafe made the social media rounds recently. I thought it would be fun to see what everyone would order if deposited back on the Warner’s lot. To keep it fun, let’s limit ourselves to a $1.05 tab (equivalent to $22.00 in December 2022). Gratuity will be covered by the advanced being that sends us back in time. If folks enjoy this, maybe it’s an occasional feature.

What’ll ya have, Mac?