August 2007 - Posts
August 31, 2007
Tackled the State Fair head on this Friday before Labor Day with my family.
Arrived early. Good game plan. Between 9am and 10am I noticed the sheer volume of fairgoers had at least doubled.
It's truly amazing walking up Judson from the Livestock areas, seeing that mass of people coming at you. I called it the TV money shot. Want a good random wide shot of people? Camp out in front of the Miracle of Birth barn and look up the road. Awesome.
The only better mass of humanity shot comes at the Race for the Cure, when you get on top of that hill and look back at the crowd behind you.
The Fair was cool as usual. Our first stop as always was the Mini-Donut stand. Breakfast in a tidy bag.
From there, it was past WCCO Radio where Governor Pawlenty was doing a live broadcast. I showed my 3 year old who our Governor was. And while he was preoccupied, I did meet a sweet family from Waseca. They seemed happy to be there.
We also hit the building with the butter carvings in them. My wife, trying to engage my 3 year old daughter, said, "Isn't that cool?" She answered politely, but frankly, "No". Oh well, we tried to get her excited about the Dairy industry. She did enjoy her dollar cup of 2% milk though.
Other visits included the Giant Slide, which is always worth the time in line. But the hilight as far as rides go, was the Turbo Jump. That was a giant trampoline in which my daughter got harnessed in, and then jumped about 15 feet in the air. The thrill on her face was classic.
We also made a stop at Veggie Fries, Corn on the Cob, Butcher Boys, and of course the KARE Barn where we got a photo taken with the life sized Randy Shaver cutout.
Our day was commemorated with one last stop at the Arcade, for one of those photo strip booths. All 4 of us crammed in. That's definitely going on the fridge. OK, that's it. Come stop by and see me this weekend at the Barn!
perkout
August 24, 2007
I got an e mail from my eco-conscious buddy the other day. It was a forwarded deal, which I almost always delete.
However, since it was from someone who almost always doesn't waste my time, I checked it out.
It was a link to Blackle!
Now what you ask is Blackle? Blackle is supposedly an energy saving version of Google. Since I use Google incessantly, I decided to check it out.
To my surprise, I actually like it!
Blackle is a black screened Google search engine that supposedly saves wattage, thus eventually, the earth.
I'm not a huge "Leo DiCaprio/Al Gore imminent doom is just around the corner" kinda guy, but I do recycle, and I do turn off lights and stuff.
At the bottom of the Blackle home page, it explains how it supposedly works.
Whether or not it actually does, is irrelevant to me, because I've used it enough now, that I actually prefer the black screen. It's much easier on my eyes, and therefore my chronic headaches!
I've tried to get others on board the Blackle bandwagon, but most blow me off or tell me it's a farce.
Oh well, let them not take part in the groundswell of Revolution! I'm a Blackle guy.
perkout
August 19, 2007
-Penny Lane is my favorite Beatles Tune
-Glad Press n' Seal is an amazing invention
-That Gap Red Inspi(red)campaign was genius
-Shaving is Dreadful
-For some reason, I love Corned Beef Hash
-Joe Mauer has really cooled off this year
-I threw away my Timberwolves cap
-The best part of football season is Fantasy Football season
-The Original Pancake House has ridiculously good coffee
-Taste of India has ridiculously good table water
-Where is Fancy Ray these days?
-Glad to hear Fergie branch out with her ballad, Big Girls Don't Cry
-I so want to see the Bourne Ultimatum
-My Dad who reads this blog regularly, will probably tell me he has no idea who Fergie is. He probably thinks I'm talking about the Duchess of York
-The word "streamline" is a good word
-Joey Fatone is charismatic
-They sell a Michael Vick chew toy for dogs online!
-High School Musical 2 was cool, I'm glad kids can have good clean entertainment at their disposal
-Modest Mouse rocks
-State Fair...I can smell the Pronto Pups now!
perkout
August 15, 2007
I like spicy food for sure. Thai food, Mexican, Indian, all at the top of my culinary chart.
My Dad and brother are the asbestos tongues of the family though.
My Dad sometimes orders 5 star heat in his pad thai, just because he can. My bro grows his own chili peppers! I honestly believe if they were measured, both of them would have a Scoville Unit Rating.
While I can't handle the kind of heat they can, I do appreciate a good kick every once in a while. The kind of palate burn that can only be quenched by white rice or dry bread, or a cold glass of milk.
Which got me thinking, what if you could combine the heat with something naturally soothing, ice cream!
I searched some recipes and settled on a Pineapple Jalapeno sorbet.
I gave it a whirl the other day in my ice cream maker, and although it needs some adjustments for the second batch, it actually, is a really interesting and delightful mix!
I thought I was being cutting edge, so I ran it by my resident food guru, Andrew Zimmern, who knows envelope pushing his eats. Chef Andrew as many of you may know, hosts Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel, and also co-hosts a show on FM 107 locally.
I've been contributing my sports take on the show every Monday at 2pm, but this week, I bragged to my favorite foodie on the air, about my spicy sorbet. While proud of me, he quickly directed me to Sebastian Joe's, for some of their Chocolate Coyote Ice Cream.
I'm going later this week. It sounds rad. I'll be sure to give you a report. In the meantime, give us a listen. It's every Monday at 2pm on FM 107.
perkout
August 8, 2007
Silent no longer. I know I'm supposed to be unbiased and impartial, but a blog allows for more latitude. At least I say it does. So here it goes... The Wolves were morons for trading Kevin Garnett!
KG was the epitome of class. He still is. It'll be easy to root for the Boston Celtics now.
I actually grew up one of the few Celtics fans in L.A. I remember almost getting my butt kicked at the Forum in Los Angeles one nite when I wore my satin green Celts jacket.
My folks even painted my basketball backboard white, with stenciled Celtics green lettering "BIRD 33". That drew much ire from the neighborhood kids, all allegiant disciples to the Magic and Kareem show.
That Celtics fascination eventually wore off when Bird, Parrish, and yes, even McHale moved on.
When I moved here, it was easy to adopt the Wolves. They had McHale after all.
Throughout the years, I became awfully fond of Garnett. It was hard to imagine a pro athlete making that kind of money that stayed so true to who he was.
There are many examples of his sweetness. My favorite was when he came to our Toys for Tots tent with a truck load of toys. By the time our volunteer came running in to tell us, so we could get a camera, KG was well on his way home, not wanting it to be about him.
His charitable benevolence is awesome. But he's also just an overall cool cat.
He always gave me grief behind the scenes because I went to Pepperdine. Had the gall to call me a rich kid. I learned a few months later, he had just purchased a beachfront home in Malibu, just down the Pacific Coast Highway from Pepperdine.
It's a shame the Wolves dealt him. Not because he was a cool guy and he was philanthropic with his time and cash. But because, he didn't want to go!
A guy who pours so much of his heart and soul into a franchise and the surrounding community, getting shipped away for unproven youth is absurd.
KG is an MVP for crying out loud, and I assure you, he still has some All-Star seasons left in him. Guys like Juwon Howard, Rashad McCants and Craig Smith want to play with Garnett!
McHale made some comment at yesterday's press conference about how, that's the business, there comes a time where everyone has to move on.
Funny, I think I just saw the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame where Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken were inducted. Ripken was an Oriole his whole career. Gwynn a San Diego Padre his whole career.
In the NBA, the San Antonio Spurs just won another NBA Championship. Their star player, Tim Duncan, has been a Spur his whole career.
Whatever. Go Celtics!
perkout
August 2, 2007
I'm not saying sports isn't important. It most certainly has its place and purpose.
But in the wake of what's happened with the bridge collapse, I'm glad sports is taking a hiatus.
Kudos to the local tv stations for kicking sports to the curb.
Hats off to the Twins for cancelling the game and the groundbreaking ceremony.
Thanks to the Timberwolves for postponing their press conference, introducing their 5 new players. Remember, KG got traded?
Normally, we'd still be doing follow up stories on the blockbuster deal. We're not though, and we shouldn't be.
Eventually sports with work its way back to our consciousness. It'll thrill us, madden us, and bring a much needed smile to our face. But for now, let's continue to focus on those involved in this tragedy, and not the battle for the Vikes cornerback position in Mankato.
perkout