AwesomeFactory

dewey and kloppenburg, two peas in a pod

2011-04-12T19:17:00.000-07:00

saw this, found it hilarious

ill catch up on the food blogging one of these days...

Foodie Wednesday - Epic

2011-03-16T11:41:00.000-07:00

OMGBBQWTFDOA?!?!

Whooooaaa no not that Epic, dipshit. The one in Chicago...

Google Place Page: http://goo.gl/pBngf
Website: http://www.epicrestaurantchicago.com/ (check out the website to do it justice... I got lazy when I grabbed the above pics)

Shameless plug: buy a shirt over at www.gopforthewin.com. I know, unrelated. Whatever.

Yeah so perhaps I did have a few qualms eating at a restaurant which shared the name of a place for which I worked back in the day. Would the food be served on tiny plates to facilitate proper BMI, a la the cafeteria at the EMR giant? Would it be served in the penalty box on the tarmac at O'hare, where I seemed to spend much time whilst still working there? Would I be treated to an amuse bouche of 1400 unread emails?!?

Luckily the inspiration was limited to name only. The Chicago version featured a restaurant, upscale lounge, and skybar which was not open yet for the season. A couple beers were enjoyed with the number one lady while waiting for the rest of my Chicago crew we were meeting. She had champagne.

I picked the wine (duh). We got a bottle of Owen Row Abbot's Table (a red blend - everything I've had from Owen Roe previously has been frakkin' fantastic and this followed suit), and a bottle of Viognier, which was French. I dont recall the label as it wasn't as good. I am not giving up on 'the year of the frog' wine theme yet, though! Red won, for those keeping score.

To start we had two plates each oooof: the PARMESAN GNOCCHI with red chard, lamb sausage and a fennel butter sauce (sidenote: there goes the Lenten ban on meat, right at dish one) and the DUCK BREAST PROSCIUTTO, seasoned with persimmon and thyme and sprinkled with hazelnuts and a lavender honey. The gnocci was good, but the prosciutto was simply amazing. I'm a fan a duck, particulary paired with most of Owen Roe's reds (have some with the Ex Umbris Syrah -- you can send the thank you notes to my office).

Ordered some oysters to share around the table - we actually had an oyster virgin at the table (before you ask yourself how that happened, it was the same guy who has never had Ketchup. Not that I am passing judgement, but odd food habits were at play). So that was fun. Should have written down the name, but they were sweeter and am guessing they were pacific northwest in origin. Not the briney kind you get out east.

I elected to get back in the Lenten swing by ordering fish. My pick was CHILEAN SEA BASS with champagne butter served over a celery root purée with mustard greens. I am such a sucker for sea bass, and this did not disappoint. The Continental in Fitchburg of all places has just about the best sea bass for my money, but Epic came close (at least as far as non-coastal cities are concerned). Lamb was a popular choice around the table, but I was joined in my Lenten pursuit by my main squeeze. She had the SEARED JUMBO SEA SCALLOPS with white truffle and lobster butter, served on lobster risotto. She won.

Skipped dessert to run to Hubbard Inn next door, another joint on my list (was going to try to eat there but couldn't get a table in our timeframe). Very similar ambiance to the all the urban groceries / turn of the century bars that seem to have popped up overnight. Made it an early evening for the marathon St. Patty's bar crawl that would start eaaaarly the next day.

Overall a good meal. Was a little underwhelmed at the number of empty tables for a Friday night. Kind of killed the hip panache they were putting out. Can see and be seen if nobody is there, right? Maybe I missed something. Food was great, though, and expensive but not ridiculous for Chicago. Wine was nice and was fun to hang with my NU buddies. Jefe was in town even! But I digress.

THE VERDICT
FOOD: Tasty, but not over the top
$$$: Expensive
INTANGIBLES: B+

Good eats for your next weekend to Chicago, again if you can get over the name (woof)

I blog like Charlie Sheen WINS!

Foodie Wednesday - 43 North

2011-03-09T09:21:00.000-08:00

image from The Isthmus Daily Page

Madison Mag Profile: http://goo.gl/1vjv9
Website: http://www.43north.biz/

This past Saturday eve the lil lady and I had the pleasure of trying a new eatin' spot. Located in the former site of one of my favourite restaurants (and best brunch spot in Madison, I might add) Cafe Continental, 43 North is new to the Madtown scene. Streetview still has the prior occupants, even (http://goo.gl/maps/GtV5).

We elected to do a tasting menu, offering 5 courses. Rather than the Chef's tasting, we opted for the seafood variety. The only difference between our courses was a trout dish for my ladyfriend and lobster course for me. King of the castle, king of the castle. The Lady's choice for wine, a Californian Sauvignon Blanc, was recently sold out, so we opted for my pick which was a late vintage Vouvray (this is quickly becoming the year of French wine for our hero. Stay tuned).

Anyway, here is how it all went down:

Amuse bouche: A scallop sushi dish with some sort of jellied foundation. I should have written it down. It was awfully tasty though, and a great start to the meal. I'll also mention the butter selection here, as we had an artisan spread - a rich and sweet goat's milk spread, a powdered olive oil, and a cow's milk butter prepared in the richer European fashion. Let's just say I required a second roll.

Course 1: Lobster Bisque. I always appreciate when this dish is prepared tableside, pouring the bisque over succulent chunks of Lobster. This allows the diner to see that indeed a substantial portion of lobster is included, and in our case a playful lobster crisp and tarragon marshmallows. Fantastic, probably a top 3 lobster bisque for me (Pete Miller's in Evanston used to KILL at this, and there was a place in Boston whose name escapes me but also had one I'd put in the strata). Good portion size too, not to big or small. Great intro.

Course 2: A seared scallop dish. The scallops were served over a bed of Iberico Pork bacon and thinly sliced pear. The menu I checked online also listed a winter truffle component, but I don't recall the truffle flavor overpowering anything as I sometimes lament. This was a good thing. Anyway the second course was terrific, and reminded me in no small bit of the seared scallops they served at Akasaka (a fond memory indeed - my all time favorite) in sunny Honolulu.

Course 3: The main course was poached lobster and braised fennel served on a pillow of sweet potato puree, with butter cake and crème fraiche. Wow. This was as good as it sounds. The lobster was plump and flavorful, which the fennel complimented nicely. I'm a mark for sweet potatoes, so that was an easy sell. And the butter cake provided both sweetness and excellent texture contrast, really a complete package. I took a picture:

DINNER FTW!!!

Cheese Course: A sheep's milk cheese with blood orange marmalade. This was a great change of pace from the main course (afforded plenty of time for settling and good conversation) and a good transition into...

Dessert: Tamarind cream cakes with passion fruit and cilantro purees, coconut, and some delicious crispy thing (the composition of which escapes me). This was just decadent. The only disappointment was the white grape port the waiter recommended - I think it would have been better with an eiswine or something sweet, which they didnt have a lot of on the wine list. I hate calling it a disappointment even, as it was still pretty tasty, but oh well. I took a picture of this course too:

DESSERT FTMFW!!

Overall a fantastic meal. I had a great time and great company, so am planning to swing by again. We'll have to see how they fill the shoes of the prior occupants brunch domination.

THE VERDICT
FOOD: Awesome. Like really, really good
$$$: Expensive, but not obscene - and given the quality of food quite fair
INTANGIBLES: A- (They didn't have a coat rack / check. It's Madison, ITS COLD, PEOPLE)

Check it out if you are in the mood for a unique fine dining experience in Madison!

I'm rad at at blogging!

Patient Cat is A-OK

2011-03-08T11:24:00.000-08:00

So it's been awhile. Sue me.

I got a CAT:

Her name is Shahrazad, and she is a Munchkin Calico. What does this mean? It means her legs will always be about 1/4 size of what you'd see on a 'normal' cat. Not making this shit up: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munchkin_(cat). So she'll look like a wiener cat, if that makes sense. Pretty neat, unique even.

Anyway, we had her talons removed today. She had been doing a number on a couple of my chairs. Not the leather though. She's out of surgery and doing fine. Huzzah for lasers!

Semi-related: do you know a good upholsterer? Send them my way :)

Anyone want to cat sit this weekend? I'm headed to Chicago for a buddy's birthday and St. Patty's bar crawl. Fun!

I am a good blogger guy!

Foodie, er, Wednesday - Osteria Papavero

2011-01-27T11:03:00.000-08:00

Some housekeeping -

Bears lost. That sucks. Cutler is getting a bad rap. Perhaps more on this in a later post...
I'm a day late with this as we didn't get to OP until last night. Hence I didn't want to do a preview. Hit up Delmonico's on Monday, but didn't really want to write about that, as I've been there frequently and my goal with this is to write about my first time to places (or at least new-ish experiences).

Google Place Page: http://goo.gl/x10CQ
Web Site: http://www.osteriapapavero.com/

So it's restaurant week in Madison, when several eateries feature ~~pre~~ prix fixe 3 course meals for $25. It's a good way to sample places one might otherwise not just pop in to. Last night I visited Osteria Papavero with a few friends. I thought it was a new spot, but the interwebs tells me it opened in 2006. I guess I am behind the times.

My first impression of Osteria Papavero was that it was a cozy, inviting restaurant that was likely owned and run by a family. Whether or not that is the case I am not sure, but they nailed the accoutrement to support such a conclusion. Places like that are my favourite - really cause you to forget you are at a restaurant and focus on the food and company. Pretty neat.

Osteria Papavero does not take reservations, even on restaurant week. Though I had called the day before and was assured that we'd have no problem getting a table at 8, it was expectedly busy for the dinner hour. To be fair, we did expand our group from 3 to 5, but still took a while to be seated. We ended up grabbing some spots at the bar to enjoy our appetizers and cocktails.

I had the "Pappa al pomodoro," a "Traditional Tuscan soup of late-season tomatoes and country-style bread." It was very good and served in an ample portions, which was welcomed to my recovering-from-cold palette. For my entree I had the "Tortellacci ai carciofi," which was "Homemade artichoke tortellacci pasta, served with a Wisconsin butter-artichoke sauce and grana cheese." They weren't lying about the butter - the butter-artichoke sauce was fantastic. I paired it with their featured Ruffino Chardonnay to continue the buttery theme.

Dessert was "Ciambella alla Ricotta," which was a "Lemon-Ricotta cheese poundcake, served with winter fruit compote." I chose this over the Tiramisu as Bruno's in St. Louis has spoiled all Tiramisu for me, and the butterscotch pudding as one of our entourage ordered that "to go" (to our collective horror). The cake was good, but a little light on the fruit. I'm told the pudding was excellent, and have since had this point underscored by others who have been there. I understand it is one of their specialties.

Overall a fantastic meal. Got to eat with both old friends I hadn't seen in a while and friends new to that evening. Lighthearted conversation was interrupted only by the guffawing-shrieks of adolescent Asian girls who occupied the table caddywompus to ours. It was a small venue, so I suppose the lottery of fellow patrons impact on the dining ambiance is always going to be a risk. Oh well.

(note: the friend of mine who got his pudding to go was unimpressed with the service. he is a bit of a curmudgeon, though, so take that with a grain of salt. i had no complaints)

THE VERDICT
FOOD: Very Good
$$$: N/A (Restaurant Week ~~pre~~ prix fixe)
INTANGIBLES: A+

Check it out if you are in the mood for Italian fare!

I'm pretty darn good at blogging!!

don't even really care about the AFC championship...

2011-01-21T07:49:00.000-08:00

SOOO yeah it would be awesome for the Bears to win this weekend and go to the Super Bowl. I'm wearing a Cutler jersey as I am writing this, even. But I'd have to say, aside from it being an electric match-up, it is really shaping up as a personal win-win.

If Chicago wins, well that's just awesome. Living in the hinterland I am catching a lot of flack for the Bears jersey today, but it is all worthwhile beating an in-division rival for a trip to the big one. And the fact that it would be a pretty big upset (I have found no sports investing site that gives Bears much of chance to win, though many have them covering the +4) would make winning sweeter still.

If Green Bay wins, I get to blame it on the Obama jinx. Friends know blaming things on Obama is one of my top three favorite things to do. Yeah, easy target, but still refreshing. Furthermore, as Richard Roeper points out, even a victory won't save Green Bay fans from their "Green Bay-ness." Sort of like when Canada beat us for the Gold in hockey at the Olympics last year. Good for them.

Before the game you should read this fantastic summation of the rivalry: http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/2011/01/a-fat-peoples-history-of-the-packers-bears-rivalry.html

I Bear down at blogging. Its magical.

of nudity and tragedy

2011-01-18T10:48:00.000-08:00

When was the last time you saw someone naked charge across a field of sport? Unless you were there in person, probably not recently. This is because the attention given to the streaker by way of broadcast would presumably lead to more acts public exhibitionism. So network sports, ESPN, etc. all pretty much put the kibosh on giving these wackos free TV time.

I can't help but think the mainstream media could take a cue from sports media. It's a commonly shared thought that many folks will go to great lengths for notoriety - be it shooting the president to get the attention of Jodi Foster, or whatever was going through that nutjob's head in Arizona. This isn't to equate a naked spring across the outfield at Wrigley with those tragedies, but there are likely some similarities in the motivation.

I know that "if it bleeds, it leads." And I know that no matter how much more responsible journalists might be won't stop all such events (just as people will likely be streaking forever). But maybe its a start, or a least a piece of the puzzle. Quit sensationalizing everything, and maybe we'll start to chip away at the underlying reasons for some of this crap.

I'm almost as good at streaking as I am at blogging. Almost.

Laser Cats!

2011-01-13T10:29:00.000-08:00

Ok. I was going to post something political today. Had it all planned out. AZ related, but not something recycled. New, interesting. But I think I'll try that tomorrow, or perhaps this weekend. Something else came up - the need for a central place to view all the "Laser Cats" shorts (no, this isn't bizarre commentary on our need to preserve our constitutional right to bear Laser Cats). Wikipedia only has a link to all the digital shorts, and Hulu only has 2-5.

Background: I am thinking about getting a cat (or two), and the possibility of Laser Cats came up when explaining this to someone. ~~They didn't know what I was talking about~~. (12:41 cst - I have been corrected. shame on me for such a cavalier assumption). For shame.

Oh well. Enjoy!

Laser Cats! - (first aired April 15, 2006)

Laser Cats! 2 - (first aired January 13, 2007)

Laser Cats! 3D - (first aired April 5, 2008)

Laser Cats! 4-ever - (first aired January 31, 2009)

Laser Cats! 5 (first aired January 16, 2010)

Assuming the trend will continue, we should get a sixth installment sometime in the next couple of months. Ill see if I can't get this post updated if and when it drops.

Until then, not even Dr. Scientist can keep me from being Awesome at blogging...

Foodie Wednesday - Merchant

2011-01-12T10:35:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Back to blogging - we'll see if I can't keep it up past June this year :)

FOODIE WEDNESDAY

This week's review: Merchant

Google Map: http://goo.gl/maps/j6dp

Website: www.merchantmadison.com

Merchant is a new bar/restaurant/urban grocery downtown. I had the pleasure of eating there last month a few days before heading to MO for holiday travel. I was a bit worried showing up clad for an ugly holiday sweater party, but the staff got a kick out it (my date's back brace was festooned with battery operated xmas lights for the party, which was a big hit). I had a santa hat, amongst other raiment.

The wallpaper reminded me of The Nines, a hotel at which I used to stay on business visits to Portland, OR. I miss that place, so that was nice. The shelves of various sundries was a nice touch too, though I suppose that would be a necessity for a functioning grocery.

The drinks were quite good. I had the Manhattan and she had the Last Word (HA!). I regret not being able to make it here for a happy hour while I was working on a project downtown, as there were a few others on the list I did not get to try. Soon enough, I suppose.

Since we were on our way to a party we decided to do small plates. We started with toasts - the only one still on the menu is the "TRUFFLED WHITE BEAN & PROSCIUTTO," which was excellent. These would be nice compliment to an after dinner drink. I had "DUCK LEG with CHERRIES & HAZELNUTS," which was also fantastic (portion might have been a bit small, but I suppose duck isn't a very big bird). She had a seafood dish that is no longer on the menu, and sadly I cannot recall its exact composition. Was a bit lemon-y for my tastes, though, if memory serves. I really do need to return to try a few other items, and dig in to the entrees.

Interesting side note - i discovered while visiting family for Xmas that apparently Springfield, MO beat Madison to the whole Urban Grocery kick. Yeah, I know it is corporate. But still, go figure.

THE VERDICT
FOOD: Tasty
$$$: Not too bad
INTANGIBLES: A to A+

Get ye there, post haste!

I am once again really quite good at blogging...

bad at blogging

2010-06-15T19:12:00.000-07:00

Wow. The wheels have come off the train. It has been over a month since I have posted. I didn't post at all in the month of May. Ridiculous. I wish I had a better reason to tell than I just flaked. Oh well.

Here are all the things that have happened since my last post::

1) Drove home to MO to pick up my summer car. That was fun.

2) I went to the Wisconsin State GOP convention. That was a blast. First time I had a good weekend in Milwaukee, and I have definitely given that city its fair share of chances. We'll see if I can't get back for another Brewers game.

3) I flew my pops to Chicago to check out a Cubs game. He had never been to Wrigley, so it was a special trip. We also checked out some of the museums and walked around town (we're nerds). First Kilkenny in the states too. All in all a solid Memorial Day weekend.

4) I had a birthday. It was June 4. We threw a white party for it. It was bomb. If you are facebook friends with me, you can look at the pictures. If you are not facebook friends with me, you probably wouldnt enjoy the pics anyway. Either way I am 29 wow. One year left until 30. Tick, tock... need to start planning the party.

5) My good buddy Dan of sabBROtical fame done moved out of town. He was the first person I met in Madison. He is now going to grad school @ Michigan. In Ann Arbor (who is a whore). I am sad.

6) We got a new (new) motor for the boat. This is the 3rd one since we have owned it. Since Dan and Rick are leaving town, Tuschy (also of sabBROtical fame) joined Miller (also of sabBROtical fame) and me as owners. So there are 3 of us now. Water travelers beware.

So yeah I have been busy, and such can be expected as the weather improves. But that is no excuse. I was blogging at a half decent clip there for awhile. Part of the problem is lack of internet access during the day at work. They actual want us to be "productive", go figure :). I multitask well though, maybe I will be more proactive at lunch. Anyway, till next time (which I hope is soon), keep livin the dream...

i want to improve at blogging

ruh-roh

2010-04-30T20:22:00.000-07:00

Still developing, who knows where this will go, but could make for a very rough summer. But hey, at least this type of thing is a badge of honor for Dem. Presidents. Somewhere Slick Willy is sporting a proud smile...

Obama, Vera Baker: Enquirer Uncorks Presidential Cheating Scandal | DBKP - Death By 1000 Papercuts - DBKP

work for... me?

2010-04-28T14:04:00.000-07:00

I heard there were a lot of college kids looking for summer employment. Hell, even grads and established folks are having trouble finding work (insert dig on Obama and his continuing ruination of the job market here). Well, I am going to do my part to get things going again. It is with a staunch commitment to capitalist free market ideals (and desperate need for a copy editor) that I am pleased to announce a job opening over here at the Awesome Factory. Granted, it's unpaid - but the skills you'll learn and fat cats you'll network with will have you on the track to the CEO suite in no time (Well, not CEO here. That is my job. Get out of my chair, I just had that leather conditioned). See full posting below...

Company: awesomefactory media strategies, ltd.
Base Pay: Unpaid Internship with possibility for stock options and profit sharing
Other Pay: Classified
Employee Type: Full-Time
Industry: Awesomeness - Awesomeness Services
Manages Others: Jr. Interns, Rodents
Job Type: Lackey
Required Education: Some College
Required Experience: 1-2 yrs Admin Asst, 1-2 yrs Data Entry, 1 yr Scheduling, 1 yr Cheerleading
Required Travel: Frequent In-state, Occasional International
Relocation Covered: If you are willing to move into my garage
Reference ID: 031337
Location: US-WI-Fitchburg

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Ideal candidate will excel at accurately and swiftly proofread large quantities of incredibly stupid blog content. Must be able to react quickly in emergency situations and communicate effectively with me. Loyalty and obedience will be handsomely rewarded. Insolence and sass will be met with the back of my hand or other more savage beatings.

Desired Computer Proficiencies include, but are not limited to:

MS Office
MS OneNote
Photoshop
AutoCAD light
Cerner Millennium
Solitaire
Google Voice
Duke Nukem Forever
FurniturePorn.com
Blogger

Ability to lift moderate weight (occasionally up to around 190 lbs - "me") will be needed to perform critical job duties. Command of Madison area non-Klinke's (seriously how many shirts have they ruined in the metroplex?) dry cleaning locations and optimal pick up routes are essential. Prefer individuals who have shown continued interest in awesomeness and related pursuits. Ronald Reagan themed office decorations a plus. Tea bags provided.

Dress is aristocratic (save for country-club-casual Fridays).

All inquiries should be directed to the comments section of this blog or via other social networking channels (facebook, twitter.com/awesomefactory, etc.)

guess and test

2010-04-27T07:42:00.000-07:00

I was reminded this AM of a skill I possess that I had almost forgot I had. Guessing. That's right, straight up pull-an-answer-out-of-my-ass guessing. On my drive to the gym this morning at o'dark-thirty a local radio station was doing their "guess the answer" promo (yeah, kinda lame - they just take a poll and see if people can guess the top answer. Poor man's family feud, really). Today was "What is the most borrowed item in America."

Give up? Easy - jumper cables. Complete guess. Completely right. And if you give me a hint, whoooa-oh its lights out. Nailed it yesterday too (though given the time of day and activity since, I can't remember what I guessed. That is also part of guessing - remarkable unmemorability).

Back in school, I am guessing (hehe so you know I'm probably right) I had a 2-3% grade inflation pop from guessing ability. Sure I knew most of the answers on the test, but when I had had to guess it was like basically knowing the answer with about as much chance of being wrong as filling in the wrong bubble due to hangover (note: conduct future study on potential hangover-guesswork construct and its impact on higher learning. Probably a Nobel in there somewhere).

Pick a number - I can guess it within 3-4 digits 90% of the time. Really. And don't try lying about what you picked after I guess it, just because you don't want to give me the satisfaction of nailing. That's lame.

Pick a fruit - I can guess it. I can probably even guess what you would name that fruit, if you were prone to such things. That is how awesome I am at guessing.

Number of Jelly Bellys in that jar? I am something like 36-5-2 lifetime at that game - I have a mild chemical dependency on those things now from all the tubs I've won. No joke.

So yeah, I am awesome at guessing. If you need guesswork performed for a job function you can outsource it to me for a reasonable rate. I'd guess we can do some pretty sweet business together.

Oh, and I am similarly awesome at blogging.

i palin-drone i

2010-04-14T20:31:00.000-07:00

Title inspired by one of my favourite TMBG songs:

So a friend of mine recently tweeted me inquiring my thoughts on Sarah Palin. Purely speculating here, but I am guessing this was prompted by a lot of the stuff I've retweeted of late that is Tea Party related (tax day, etc. - I've got some ideas for a Tea Party post, but will save that for after tomorrow). Specifically he asked if I thought she was "really smart." Short answer - I don't know. I haven't met her, and really only have seen the tripe on TV to be able to speak to how she is portrayed. Might not be the most polished speaker, but hey aren't 'notes on your hand' just a (incredibly) low-tech teleprompter? Should I not like for that reason? Or is it just easier because it seems like everyone else is already convinced she's a ditz.

She is great at energizing the base, that is for sure. But am I a fervent supporter? Probably not - I wouldn't even have her book if it weren't a 'gag' gift from my liberal roommate. I think I'd like Ron Paul or Mitt better (and I know those are pretty different angles, will tackle that a different day though). I just keep coming back to Palin for the same reason's the left can't let her go. I guess my point is I don't like Sarah Palin as much as I dislike they way she gets treated by the MSM and many of the folks I speak with. They either assume because I don't hate her like they do that I am the president of her fan club, or that I think she should be in charge.

Yes, I voted for McCain / Palin in 2008 -- even had their campaign placard up in my office at my former workplace (which I was summarily asked to take down, never mind the countless Obama posters / bumper stickers / shirts that I saw there EVERY day). Should I not have because I liked Romney better in that race? Should I have shunned Palin because I didn't know enough about her? What would the results have been had those questions been applied to the electorate as a whole - sure most of the country liked him better than Hillary, but (as we're living now) no one really knew what they were getting.

And maybe that's what gets my goat. What always gets me about folks distaste for Palin, especially those most enamored with Obama, is how similarly they can be described. Not a lot of experience prior to national exposure (local: community organizer / mayor, statewide: senate / governor). It doesn't seem like Palin has had it that rough, save for maybe some run ins with the oil industry (also confusing - shouldn't she be more of a liberal darling for that??). Obama definitely hasn't - you can't tell me a DEM community organizer / state senator in Chi, DEM senator from Ill, etc. has had to make a hard decision. If Palin is so bad, shouldn't Obama be fallible too? Safety note: don't ask an Obama Zombie that question.

Would I vote for her for President in 2012? Probably, though as I mentioned there are a number of folks I'd like to see on the GOP ticket ahead of her. I mean, at the very least she has seen 4 years of Obama screw ups in the hopes she might learn from them (again, coming from similar political tracks). And, given their similar tracks, as least she has shown a patter of sticking to her guns once elected (the aforementioned standing up to the oil companies in Alaska, for instance). Think Obama is keeping promises (that link is just the tip of the iceberg, and sadly we've got 2 more years until 2012)?

So yeah, I am not a Palin drone. I don't know how smart she is, and don't really care. She has found a voice that has resonated with a lot of people, and a fair bit of what she is talking about I agree with. So there.

Though, wow, I blog on good. No blog I wow, though...

Quickie! New Site Content!

2010-04-14T13:21:00.000-07:00

added a google reader feed below the blog archive. now you can read all the random stuff i share and comment on! joy!!

even for quick posts, i blog really well

Milwaukgeeeetmetheheckouttahere

2010-04-12T22:45:00.000-07:00

So many of you know I have some rough times in Milwaukee. From trips that went sour with ex-girlfriends to general skullduggery, the Brew City has not been kind to our hero. About the good time I've had was when my buddy Dan organized a limo-bus to take several of us there in 2009 for the Cubs @ Brewers opener (couple pictures from the bus below).

So, when another of my friends called me last week to go to Cards @ Brewers my love of baseball and tailgating got the best of me. I opted to go (tossed on a Royals hat instead of my Cubs gear so as not piss ovv EVERYONE, just the more-hated Cards crew). Bad idea.

First - the tailgating passes we had were all you could eat and drink. Hard to err on the side of moderation for that. The area we were in as well was incredibly loud, not bad per se but I had a conference call I was planning on dialing into from the parking lot (didn't end well). Once in the game the general tomfoolery ensued. Cards won big but didn't beat the over, which a few guys in the group bet on. Logical follow up? Casino.

Potowatami. Bane of my gambling existence. Only casino I have been to at least 3 times and not won at even once. And usually lose BIG. Should have taken it as a sign when 4 of our 6 jumped in a cab to head there and my friend Eric and I got left at Miller Park. Did we stay and tailgate? Did we go back to the hotel, or to dinner? Nope. Got a cab, shared with a cute girl (which help a little with the convincing), and headed to the casino. Ugh.

Craps. Down (and not just me - of course being the chivalrous bloke I am partially finance our cute friends odds bets). Everyone gets wiped. Do we leave? No. WE'LL GET 'EM BACK AT THE BLACKJACK TABLES. Been here before. We made some friends at the tables and have a good time, of course until everyone gets double wiped with a vengeance. The entire time, of course, the beverages continue to flow.

On to dinner - burgers at some bar (the name I forget). At least it was still nice enough to eat outside, save for the members of our group falling off their benches into other tables. Solution? CAR BOMBS! I think, some bomb anway. I feel like it was an Irish bar so am just assuming it was Guinness with Baileys/Jame-o. From there it was on to Whiskey Bar - seeeemed like it was trying a little to hard to seeeem like a lounge / hot spot you'd assume would be in Chicago. I know that is a lot of seeeming/assuming, but those were on purpose to convey the general awkwardness (had to take off my KC hat to enter, but they had no problem with my ratty tennis shoes or beer soaked jeans - if you are going to go high class at least keep out the riff raff, of which we freely admit to exuding that night). Oh well.

A few more bars, a few more drinks. Spent a fair bit of time talking to a nice blonde girl who I thought was cute, but was later informed was not the case. Was upset when we left them to go to a different spot, was later informed they came with. Got lost a couple of times. Hazy from there, until running into my pal Steve rocking out to a live band at one of the bars we were at. Skipped over to Q'doba (or Chipotle, or Panchero's) for a late night, life saving burrito and then back to the hotel.

In hindsight it wasn't so bad, though a review of tweets and facebook posts suggest otherwise. Would rather have had better luck at the casino / bars, but oh well. There is always next month, when the state GOP convention will likely draw me back.

Some sports investing nuggets:

Sports Betting Hedge Fund Becomes Reality - CNBC

Odds on Golf's remaining major prospects (from Hilton's @golfodds):
TIger to win: 0 majors:2-3; 1: 2-1; 2: 5-1; 3: 20-1.
Phil's odds:1 major: 2-7; 2: 5-2; 3: 12-1; 4: 150-1

i blog well

what is the over for porn stars showing up at amen corner?

2010-04-07T13:27:00.000-07:00

Wow... plenty of prop bets for tiger this weekend. Who wants some sweet action?

Link: The Masters - Tiger Woods prop bets sweeping Vegas - Chad Millman - ESPN

bet on baseball??

2010-03-31T12:59:00.000-07:00

DOES GODZILLA LIVE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD? - Greg Shaker

Interesting article about betting dogs in baseball. Had never really been a big bet-on-baseball guy, but might get in a little this year. Nothing like some sweet action to keep things interesting.

Also getting back into Fantasy Baseball this year. Pretty excited. Used to be fairly addicted, but fell off I traveled almost every week for a living. And with being out of the country last summer, this is the first full season I will be around and have time to devout to managing my team (starting back easy with just one - I think my senior year of college I hit rock bottom, managing around 10 or so). Will keep you posted.

pretty darn good at bloggin'

Vegas, Baby...

2010-03-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

A bit overdue, but wanted to recap my recent trip to sunny Las Vegas.

Wed Night
Trip got off to an interesting start - or actually, almost a non-start. Had a Guinness @ MSN to kick things off, as I was flying on St. Patrick's day proper (and of course was clad in kelly green burberry to really get in the spirit). Waiting for the plane I noticed an odd looking couple in line having a bit of an argument, and I remember thinking it could be trouble. Well, it was... while the actual flight to Denver (connections! suck!) was uneventful, all hell broke loose as soon as we touched down. Literally.

We're not more than a minute post-landing and taxiing to the terminal when up the aisle sprints 1/2 of the aforementioned couple. She was tall, emo/hipster looking, and almost certainly strung out. She is screaming bloody murder about her boyfriend choking her or some other assault, and that she had already called the cops. From the plane. "Well shit," I think to myself, "there goes that trip." FAA in-flight calling restrictions aside, when someone frantically calls from a plane these days, the tendency for the authorities is to react in a disproportionate fashion. Visions begin to swirl in my head of a 3 hour hostage situation in the middle of the tarmac, broadcast on CNN to my buddies lapping up cocktails in Vegas without me. Sigh.

The flight attendant tells the crazy lady to sit down, and she does, thankfully. Hopefully this will buy us enough time to get to the gate, and then the cops can retrieve the nutsos and let the rest of us on our merry way, I thought. The flight attendant calls the captain to inform them that Denver police are likely on their way to meet us, and thankfully we get to the gate. We have to wait a few minutes for the police to show, which crazy lady obviously took to get in arguments with any and everyone that would listen ("its your own airport police that are coming, they will cover this up;" "my boyfriend was in a coma, its not his fault;" etc.). After they can get her out of the way we deplane, and I'm off to Vegas.

I must say the United crew handled themselves very well for it being such an unusual situation. I am sure they get wackos all the time though. Maybe not as many as Southwest. Anyway, I get into town and it is pretty uneventful from there out - just head to PH to meet up with my buddy Pete and grab some drinks at the bar by the gaming floor. Missed a total layup opportunity in the elevator ride to the room later, but wasn't too worried as I wanted to rest up for the full 48 hour bender to come (wow, can't believe I wrote that. might I be getting old?).

Thursday
Pete and I get around to waking up (which wasn't too hard, as I never really slept thanks to the leaf blower Pete was running all night - not sure how he got that through security) and stumble down to the sports book to make our bets. Line is starting to get long as we arrive. It is funny, how both times I have been there for March Madness weekend 1 I have managed to get so excited in the betting line as to throw out the hours of research I had done and bet on anything they would give me odds on. Should have stuck to single games - the ones I picked did pretty good. When I parlayed stuff, would always hit 2/3, and thus cancel out the winnings I would have had with 3 separate bets. Blah!

We scoot over to TI, where we have another room (would eventually get to 3, thanks to all the comps that Pete pulls). They have their conference rooms set up as huge theaters for checking out the games - we grab some breakfast snacks and breakfast drinks and find a table with room. The guys we end up sitting close to bet the same way we did, so everyone was cheering for the same things. Always thought it was fun to watch the different groups of folks watching sports in a gambling venue and instantly realize who was betting on what by cheers alone. Even if it is a blowout, dudes will still get fired up as one team gets close to covering / not covering a spread. Fun times.

My buddy Chuck from back home lands and we run down to the main gaming area to meet him. I get a couple of hands of blackjack in waiting for Pete to officially check into the room and Chuck to show up. We grab some grub at the buffet and then it is back to watching games. A few hours later it is on to Aria to grab the last room.

After running into some buddies from Madison in the sportsbook at Aria it is time to get ready for dinner...

Thursday Night
Dinner - N9NE steakhouse. Met some interesting folks at the bar waiting for the table (sidenote - almost all of the interesting folks we met in Vegas were from NY. This has happened on prior trips. Maybe they are out to have a better time or just lose the east coast jerk edge when living it up in the sun, but overall were a fun lot to run into). Had FANTASTIC steaks. Probably the 2nd best I have had in Vegas (the Kobe w/ foie gras @ BOA for my 25th birthday is probably still tops - thanks Laz, et al). Pete and Chuck balked at the magnum of Nickel and Nickel (my fav cab), though it was a bit pricey even for Vegas. Had a stellar Pinot nonetheless. From dinner, on to Ghostbar.

Great view from Ghostbar, but it was packed with dudes. Eventually found a bachelorette party that was having trouble getting attention, even on this weekend (a 'bigger' group if you catch my drift). Had an absolute blast though, dancing and cutting up with them. Ghostbar is indoor/outdoor, so it was nice to get outside in the cool breeze (if not outright wind) while we were cutting up a rug (er, did I just say that?). Was there pretty late before bouncing back to Aria. Pete and I talked up a few other groups at the bar there before calling it a night. Hazy memories of returning to the room.

Friday
Hungover. Not as bad as the movie, but woke up feeling rough. Had a full day of poolside drinkin to do, so made ourselves roll out to Walgreens to grab some gatorades and mantanning lotion (of course after we got the new day's bets in - this took a little longer, as the Aria sportsbook's system was down for a bit. Created a MASSIVE line, but moved ok once they got things up and running).

Skip forward to Hard Rock. We had signed up for the all day pool party, which was $40 a ticket. This covered AM and PM open bar happy hours, and $2.50 16 oz. bud lights the rest of the day. Pretty good deal, as it turned out, which was sweetened when Pete and Chuck won back to back Bud Light - Hooters dice tosses to score us a couple of cabanas. Back to back perfect tosses too (had to get 5/6 or better bud light icons on a yahtzee style toss - both went 6/6). LCDs (in addition to the poolside 20 ft. screens), stocked fridges, couches and attentive service. Solid play.

A marathon of drinking and gambling ensued. I lost a fair bit at the outdoors craps table, but who can complain with playing craps in the sun. Jeff and Ryan (a couple buddies from school who joined up with us Thurs) both passed out at different times. Security was good about not kicking them out, and a group next to ours who won their trip from a radio station in Houston was able to get some solid promo photos with our catatonic compadres. From there is was setting up rez & tables for the evening...

Friday Night

Dinner at Julian Serrano. Chuck's friend of a friend Billy knew the owner (Billy was a character himself - owned a nightclub in Cancun, seemed to party pretty hard, cool dude). The tapas were pretty damn good and the sangria flowed freely dude to the hook up. Awesome.

From there we had tables at Haze. This is where it started to spiral out of control. Needless to say our cost containment initiatives quickly were blown to all hell, and bottles and new friends started arriving in force. We had our own bodyguard even, or at least that is what I figured his job was. Escorted our party members to the restroom when needed, recruited new friends that we noticed and liked to join, kept the riff raff out, etc. Pretty nice set up. Until Chuck booted and had to leave. Worse still, the tab was still on his card. Bad news bears.

The night continued to spiral out of control with booze and partying, don't really remember heading back to the room. My buddy Eric was also in town and sent a number of incomprehensible text messages, so guessing we probably tried and failed to meet up for 4 am black-out pai gow, a march madness Vegas weekend tradition.

Saturday

Recovery! Spent a couple of hours by the pool grabbing lunch and a few drinks. Solid cap to the trip - one of the first times I was actually sad to leave (usually have a 'get me the hell out of here and home' mindset). Got to drink my fill of fat tire in the airport on the way home, and aside from a brief mechanical delay made it back to Madison no worse for the wear.

Overall 2nd impressions of the first round of tourney games
1) Should be re-named 'Dude Weekend.' Total sausage fest
2) Watching the games out of doors was awesome. Must do again if I'm back for it
3) Bottle service - push. Seemed like a lot at the time, but was a blast and probably would have spent as much anyway, and also had a comfortable place to chill and meet new friends

Also had a few March Madness links to share--

Breakdown from Millman - what the sharps were thinking:

Chad Millman Blog Archive - March 2010 - ESPN

Podcast predictions for Final Four:
Podcast: NCAA Final Four 2010: Picks & Predictions (50-27) - Week of Mar 30th - Marco D'Angelo

what happens where I blog, stays where I blog....

luck of the irish...

2010-03-16T08:30:00.001-07:00

Catching up from the last few weeks of non-blogging... sorry folks

The weekend prior to St. Patty's day brought with it an annual pilgrimage to Chicago for a bar crawl me and some buddies frequent. Not even moving to D.C. could stop the events organizer (our buddy DK) from putting on another gem. An easy Saturday morning drive, made easier by retrieval of McDonald's breakfast along the way (I skipped though - had gotten in a 4 mi run and breakfast at home. Gym rat). A little embarrassing to have to wait in line at a gas station to procure ammo (booze), though -- didn't start sales until 9, got their at 8:58. The families that got to skip ahead of me in line were amused, anyway.

The Itinerary:12:00PM-- Schoolyard Tavern (3258 N. Southport)
1:00PM-- Justins (3358 N. Southport)
2:00PM-- Mystic Celt (3443 N. Southport)
3:30PM-- Hye Bar (3707 N. Southport)
5:00PM-- Cullens (3741 N. Southport)
7:00PM-- Mullens (3527 N. Clark Street)
9:00PM-- John Barleycorn (3524 N. Clark Street)

See the google map: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1515744

I only made it through Mullen's this year before bowing out for food. Had enough of a hangover the next day two require two breakfasts (one St. Patty's benedict - a benny with corned beef hash, essentially; two Guinness and Car Bomb - as some how I had no bombs the day before). Was a great time, and am looking forward to getting back to Chicago soon to meet up with new friends we met along the way! Just thought of this, but somehow I missed getting a Shamrock Shake. How did this happen??

I blog with the fervor of St. Patrick...

Brackets Forth!!

2010-03-15T14:26:00.000-07:00

In just over 48 hours I will be Vegas bound. For some reason it seems as if the excitement is more for this year than it has been in years past (both for the tourney and an impending Vegas trip). Maybe it's the actual me time I've been afforded with the new job (ie not the 70+ hrs a week I was working '03-'09) or the fun I have been having on the campaign trail, but I've rediscovered the joy of anticipating fun. And awesomeness. It probably helps that I haven't been for a couple of years too - big believer that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Well, that and gambling, which makes just about everything more exciting.

Plus I am flying on ST. PATRICK'S DAY, perhaps the best drinking holiday of the year (to be fair, I believe properly executed that the Fourth of July can be properly parlayed into a boating/boozin'/buffoonery powerhouse, especially when it falls on a day like thurs or friday to make for an extra long weekend. That or Arbor Day). I'll be wearing green and swilling Guinness and Jameson all across the friendly skies! Should get in early enough to make a solid evening of it as well. And after this weekend's Chicago St. Patty's Irish bar crawl, I've got the party muscles all limbered up. Green beer ahoy!

Some of the early bracket links:

Rules for making your bracket (the mathematical basics)-

NCAA Basketball Bracket Picking Rules You Should Never Break! - RJ Bell

Some other basic tips-

10 Quick Tips for Picking Your March Madness Bracket - Blogs - Johnny Detroit's Sports Betting Community

Prediction results and analysis for how folks forecast's went-

Bracketology 101

Czaban's first round webcast (I KNOW! HE'S BACK! RAD!!)-

First Team Express: March 15, 2010 - NCAA Tournament

Bit of a Badger dis' amongst some interesting picks from Kawakami-

http://goo.gl/m9eS

technically speaking

2010-03-10T09:09:00.000-08:00

EMRs

As many learned followers of this blog know, I used to work for an electronic medical records company. So I was very interested to find this article yesterday in my Google reader feed. The gist is that while electronic medical records prevented a lot of mistakes, the reminders ("decision support") many tools provided did not impact care to a clinically significant degree. That is to say 'neat,' but not a discernible improvement. While a lot of what is says I could tell from the experiences I had working there (i.e. that the benefits were out there, they just weren't as transformative as a lot of those hyping the industry would have you believe), I think it is a little early to be passing judgement on the idea of electronically based medical record keeping in general. I believe the beneficial clinical impacts will grow as users acclimate to the tools and as a new generation of doctors who grew up with computers begins to make up the majority of caregivers.

I'll expand on the latter half of that last sentence because I don't want to be taken out of context. I don't think older doctors are any less competent providers of care -- but rather their acceptance of a new tool, which is a major departure from their base mode of communication, has to take time. It's the same regardless of industry - in my new job I am the youngest in my office (the only one who "grew up" at a keyboard) and am much more comfortable taking notes on a laptop. Hence I am better able to take advantage of a program like OneNote (indexes notes for search, integration with outlook, etc. really neat u should try!), where someone newer to computers would likely just be jotting things down and using spellcheck. I know comparing today's heavy duty EMRs to OneNote is like comparing a Ferrari to a Honda, but in both you have advantages over the old way (horseback).

A short piece, but an interesting read for those familiar with the field. Here is the article:

Computer reminders help physicians less than hoped | Health Tech - CNET News

Telephony

In other tech news I recently obtained a new telephone number. I say that generically, as I did not add to my stable of phones. Rather, I now have a Google voice account with one number to rule them all (NERD). Part of the functionality of this is to assign unique identifiers to numbers (ie your buddies) that text you, which you will need to respond to for them to get the text from your 'new' number. It is similar for calls - you can dial the text number assigned to a contact from any of your phones and it will show up on your buddy's caller ID as the Google number (this is a LOT easier than dialing your Google voice number and then navigating to your buddies contact, which may or may not be in your Google contacts yet).

Here is a great article on making the switch: http://goo.gl/Hg5Y

It is a little easier for the BlackBerry, which has an app for making calls from my Google voice number, but overall I am champing at the bit to get an Andoid based phone with has functionality to really tie the whole process together. Until I can set that up, though, I am stuck with adding the unique text numbers to folks contact info on my Samsung Behold. Which leads me to why I thought of this in the first place - I sent a mass text bomb and email to folks, hoping to solicit a response from my most contacted friends via text. This way I could update their info and make calling them the next time I needed to a bit easier. Of the folks that responded, a VAST majority were girls, which means one of the following:

A) I have better girl friends

B) Dudes are lazier than chicks

C) Some combination of 'A' and 'B'

D) I think too much about this shit

Oh well. What do you think??

Also, I am technically good at blogging

T-minus 10 days...

2010-03-08T12:49:00.000-08:00

Technically 9 days until I am Vegas bound for the first time in 2 years (exactly two years since my last trip, to be precise). Found this quick guide to sports books to be just thing to get me in the mood. I have only been to Vegas for March Madness once, but it was an absolute blast. Essentially indoor tailgating with easy access to gambling and other indulgences.

Five best sports books for watching the tourney -- Chad Millman - ESPN

Hard to make it the full weekend, though, from a liver-health / fatigue perspective. Last time I flew in Thursday afternoon and back early on Sunday. That was plenty - the guys that were there for all of Thursday were certainly worse for the wear. This year I am flying in Wed night and back Sat afternoon. This is for a few reasons:

1) Thurs and Fri are the craziest days anyway, so being there for the entirety will be a 48 hr bender

2) Flying back Sat will give me the chance to watch some basketball back home with the guys too lame to come with

3) My buddy Phil Indian-gave half of a companion ticket at the last minute (I will be taking this out on his mom)

4) I was lazy for a coupla days in finally booking and had limited options to book using miles

I'll still give the good folks at United a call and see if I can get a later flight on Saturday, as having a few extra hours of basketball and sun will be better than traveling for half a day (during daylight hours at least). We'll still have 3 solid nights to party, and there are a couple of overlapping groups heading down (bachelor parties, other dudes we know from work, etc) such that we can meet up with for blacked-out pai-gow at 430 am.

Definitely looking forward to it, hopefully will have a couple of stories that I can share here. Will have to be tip of the iceberg stuff though, what happens in Vegas stays there, right?

In 3rd grade I was blogging at an 11th grade level, and things have only improved from there...

a quick sports investing recap

2010-03-02T10:41:00.000-08:00

Been a little bit since my last gambling post, thought I might grab a few links I think YOU should check out. Some good opportunities coming up in the next few weeks, not the least of which iiiiis...

March Madness is almost upon us - I know I will be spending the first weekend in Vegas. Why don't you come too? Check out this site to see where your team is likely to land on the brackets (if at all!)--

Bracketology 101

If only Jimmy were around to handicap the first coupla rounds for us. Ill send Bob and Brian and email, see what I can do. Otherwise, if you are itching to shake off the sports betting cobwebs (it seems like forever since the Super Bowl, no?), here are a few opportunities that might satisfy your appetite--

By the Book: Games to Bet On - from a leading Sportsbook at VegasInsider.com, The Leader in Sportsbook and Gaming Information - By the Book, Sportsbook, Bookie, Bet.com, BetUSA.com

Finally, a pretty good read from Millman on the prop bets for the combine. People will bet on ANYTHING these days - my buddy Pete was lamenting recently taking a bath on ICE DANCING bets. Sheesh.

How the NFL combine prop bets played out - Chad Millman - ESPN

I am cai$h money at blogging, sirs!

MISSION POSSIBLE!!

2010-03-02T06:49:00.000-08:00

This represents the rare trifecta of posts for me - tweeted, facebooked and now blogged. You simply must check out this music video.

OK GO! BEST BEST BEST Video EVER

So why do I like this so much? Well back in the day I was a huge nerd (surprised? just back in the day?!?). In jr. high and high school I competed on my school's science Olympiad teams. My favorite event was "Mission Possible" - basically each team was charged with creating a Rube-Goldberg like device to accomplish a specific task. There were rules and certain requirements (i.e. you have to use X different types of energy, no more than X projectiles, etc.), but beyond that each team was left to their own creative devices. This was a bad thing, given the mischievous tendencies of our merry band.

I have many fond memories of weekend construction sessions and spending hours trying fine new ways to blow up David Latall's parents' garage. Countless lighters, balloons, tubes of super glue and legos gave their last full measure in the name of geeky competition. Oh and dominos. Shit-tons of dominos (this was the era of domino rally after all) . We probably kept the SW MO balsa industry afloat from '93-'99. Had their not been rules against live animals I can only imaging the carnage that would have been inflicted. Sadly, I can't remember if we ever placed. I think we made it to state a couple years, but nothin' much beyond that.

So somebody should call Kayne and tell him to start writing his speech for the VMA's this year - will need to put some work into crafting the message why Beyonce's "Single Ladies" (though to do this day i still prefer the SNL version).

I am really good a blogging and MAKING BREAKFAST

Big ol' Healthcare Post of Awesome

2010-02-25T10:23:00.000-08:00

healthcare summit - Google Search

Dr. Smurf sez "Smurf this Smurfin' Healthcare Bill!"

So a funny thing happened in Washington today - the GOP and Democrats actually sat down to talk through Healthcare. Well, sort of. The GOP showed up to tell the President and Dem Reps / Senators that their bill sucks (which it does) and the Dems came to try to convince the GOP participants that there is stuff in the pending legislation they should like (which there is, but not much).

Observation 1: GOP has more young guns than the Dems do
This is the opposite of where we were a few years ago (remember when Obama was the rising star?). Listening to Paul Ryan (@reppaulryan) and Eric Cantor (@ericcantor) masterfully deconstruct the president's points and arguments made GOP participation in the summit worth every minute. Obama did more of what we expected - talked about 'coming to agreement' and pointing out areas where it might exist, but offering no real alternative or means to get there. The solutions came from folks like Ryan, Cantor and Lamar Alexander. A lot of the dems sounded old, rehashing cute anecdotes we've already heard a million times. Sure, I am probably a little biased, but I think the GOP *shined* more.

Obs 1a: Reflecting overall, the Dems brought a bunch of sob stories - Obama tries to tie back to finding agreement, but what are they supposed to agree on? That Rep. Slaughter's constituent who wears her dead sister's dentures has had a rough go at it? Are you serious?!? It's almost comical at this point, you think they would have anticipated the GOP guys brining facts and alternatives (though to be fair, there is legislation on the table so the GOP did have a leg up in that they could bring an alternative to the starting point). Instead they (Obama et al) have offered nothing new, and look like they are confused and flustered. Sheesh.

Observation 2: Obama and most of the Dems just DON'T GET IT
Obama discounted a number of the GOP talking points by suggesting that it was "tipping the scales" to ask if we want Washington running Healthcare by saying "everyone is upset with Washington."

THAT IS EXACTLY THE POINT!

America is not happy with how we have been led and of course would want that leadership as far away from mandates and regulation that would control how we obtain healthcare. A fellow Tweeter hit the nail on the head -- "RT @mkhammer: O: Let's talk about my Washington-centric, Wash-run, fed mandate w/o using the word "Washington" shall we?" Obama doesn't get that Washington and it's place in the Healthcare solutions the country needs is at the very base of the argument. By seeing this crux as illegitimate Obama demonstrates that either that he will never understand the basis for conservative alternatives or has no interest in their merits in the first place.

FUNNY MOMENT: From when they broke for a house vote -- "We have to vote and come back. There are busses outside." Sack lunches, too? What is this, a 3rd grade field trip? I bet Obama would trade his fruit roll-up for the bills to pass :)

Halftime count: having had about twice as much time on the clock, the Dems are still managing to lose. Unbeleivable.

I'll listen to the rest this afternoon, and blog if I have any additional thoughts I think y'all (someone) might enjoy :)

I am bipartisan (smile) AND awesome at blogging

Random Thoughts - I am a Role Model

2010-02-23T10:27:00.000-08:00

Frequenters of this blog will know that I enjoy wagering from time to time, or at least reading and writing about it. Made a little bit of coin this past NFL season, and am actually heading to Vegas for the first weekend of March Madness. If that wasn't enough, it looks like there will soon be a venue to wager on Hollywood:

Movie Box Office: Real Betting Is On the Way | The Hollywood Reporter | Showbiz 411 | Entertainment News

Just what I need. Another outlet for expression of errant betting and shotty grasp of wagering strategy. How can it go wrong?!?! More worried about a buddy of mine, though - just dropped $3k... betting on... wait on it... Olympic Ice Dancing. Yeah. Sick.

While I am thinking about movies, I had the chance to see "Role Models" again last night. If you remember this movie at all you probably wrote it off as a way to get Stifler and McLovin in the same movie. Having seen it twice now, I'd say I was pleasantly surprised both times. The first I think was on TV, and probably just had my low expectations surpassed. The second was on unrated DVD, so there was a fair bit of skin, which is always nice. Overall I'd say it was a pretty well written movie, with a lot of funny dialogue that played well between the character. If you see it on TV (or are tempted to throw it in the netflicks queue) I'd say give it a whirl.

Couldn't help but think of another movie, while watching it, however. "Darkon" was a documentary from 2006 which catalogued a fantasy gaming community that was the source major plot line / joke in Role Models. Also worth a watch if you have the time - an interesting look at the wargaming subculture, and some unintentional comedy to boot (to be fair, yeah I am a geek, but some folks probably take it a bit far. oh well).

Anyway - long story short I found a club in Madison: http://www.clanofthehydra.com/index.html. Not sure how active they are, but worth checking into. Who's comin' with me? Worst case a couple meetings will make for good blog fodder, and I may even improve my close quarters foam device combat skizills.

I doth possess the mightiest of blogging skills

Monday Reading and 'Cats at Badgers

2010-02-22T13:20:00.000-08:00

Great article in the Journal today --

The Atonal President - WSJ.com:

"Life Imitates 'All in the Family'

Edith Bunker: 'What about your Social Security?'

Archie Bunker: 'Social Security? I can't collect on that for another 12 years, Edith. And with the Democrats in there, they're going to run through all that Social Security money before we ever have a chance to run them out of there. That's true. Didn't you read where they're selling off the post offices to pay the rent on the White House?'

Edith: 'No, I never heard that.'

Archie: 'Well, read the National Enquirer, the only paper that'll give you the truth nowadays!'--from 'Archie Gets the Business: Part 1,' originally aired Oct. 2, 1977

'Enquirer Is Eligible for Pulitzer'--headline, New York Times, Feb. 19, 2010"

In other news--

Saw NU @ UW men's bball yesterday. 'Cats were down pretty big at one point before getting back to within one score with about 2 minutes left (glad we didn't leave at 8 min left, when it looked bleaker). Would have liked to have seen a win, but it was a fun afternoon anyway. We transitioned to Sunday Funday for the rest of the afternoon, however, and I am embarassed to say I didn't even make it to the start of the hockey game (USA beating Canada!). Oh well.

I am oddly good at blogging

Brandon Lang's new TV Show

2010-02-17T14:25:00.000-08:00

Neat little article on Brandon Lang and his new show. If you remember from football season, Brandon would call into the now-defunct Steve Czaban show on Thursdays and I would re-post a number of his pics and audio link.

Brandon Lang brings betting back to the old days - Chad Millman - Behind the Bets - ESPN

I do miss Czabe being on the radio

Not as good at blogging lately... STEP UP YOUR GAME, SUMMERS

Real time betting, FANTASTIC

2010-02-09T10:09:00.000-08:00

Running blog of real-time betting by Chad Millman for SB44 (must have ESPN insider for the whole article, sorry). Sounded like an absolute blast, and really has me looking forward to March Madness - still room to get in on the trip, btw!!

Chad Millman bets the Super Bowl in real-time and lives to tell the tale - ESPN

Great win by the Saints, I am glad I was wrong on my initial pick (as are a couple of my buddies who went in heavy on the Saints against the spread). Fun party, though I just getting my work-legs back!

I am pretty excellent at blogging

Scary stuff

2010-02-08T09:03:00.000-08:00

Came across this article as I was reviewing my twitter feed this AM:

It Is Now Mathematically Impossible To Pay Off The U.S. National Debt

While I cannot claim to have anywhere near the understanding of the financial system as the author, this article really got me thinking. There is so much about how finance works that most Americans don't (and will never) understand. I think most people have assumptions, that according to this post may not be entirely correct. As the national debt expands, one can't help but feel like we are getting closer to a reckoning - people get fed up, want their money, can't get to it, chaos ensues. This comment was especially depressing:

"There is no way to fix it now and no way out. The best solution is to hunker down, let it all burn down around you as social disorder asserts itself, and try to come out alive. If you do, you’ll be a part of rebuilding the country, this time hopefully NOT under control of bankers with specific unchangeable parts of the Constitution that EXPLICITLY FORBID handing the money supply over to private banks of any kind."

Sure there is probably a healthy dose of alarmistic hyperbole it there, but I think there is an important underlying message. We need to understand more the impact of our spending and expansion of government (all government - defense, social programs, etc.) and make smarter decisions with our money. Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:

“A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.

The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, those nations always progressed through the following sequence:

(1) From bondage to spiritual faith;
(2) From spiritual faith to great courage;
(3) From courage to liberty;
(4) From liberty to abundance;
(5) From abundance to complacency;
(6) From complacency to apathy;
(7) From apathy to dependence;
(8) From dependence back into bondage”

- Alexander Fraser Tytler, 1787

I think we're coasting into level 7 of Tytler's progression. Food for thought.

I am great at blogging...

STUPORBOWL FO'DEE FO'

2010-02-05T13:35:00.000-08:00

Ok guys... I have bad news. Had to be in to work early today so I wasnt able to listen to Bob and Brian on my way in, which means I couldn't listen to Jimmy "Masterlock" Dugan. And sadly, the podcast has not been loaded to their site - I know they were having connectivity issues with Czaban (in Miami for SB44) earlier this week, so maybe it was skipped. Anyhoo, if anyone listened in, please shoot me the picks. Otherwise, if they post the audio later, I'll make an addendum. Below are just a few nuggets, plus a bonus non-gambling link from DC...

Wagertracker consensus pick: http://www.wagertracker.com/consensusPicks.aspx?sport=NFL

The betting is surprisingly even, holding at Colts -4.5. I haven't found anyone yet who is willing to bet against the Colts though - it is hard to bet against Manning this year (hasn't lost a game he was trying to win, is something like 23-7 against the NFC over the last few years, including the last SB he was in). Anyway, I'd probably parlay a Colts to cover plus the under (WHAT A DOWNER I AM), even though I'd love to see the Saints pull it out. Oh well.

Chad Millman on a FANTASTIC Prop Bet for this weekend:

Super Bowl prop bet contest crowns a winner - Chad Millman - NFL - ESPN

And the rest of his line move analysis:

Super Bowl XLIV -- Chad Millman: Information on line moves, money line bets and prop bets (Drew Brees as MVP?) for Indianapolis Colts vs. New Orleans Saints - ESPN

Also - unrelated to gambling but still pretty funny... I have a buddy who recently moved to DC from Wisconsin. Apparently the snow followed him, as they are expecting to get 20 or so inches of snow in the blizzard this weekend. Apparently there was a small mob at the neighborhood Whole Foods of "Urban Hipsters" stocking up on Kashi and San Pellegrino. Read all about it: http://borderstan.com/2010/02/04/whole-foods-closes-early-urban-hipsters-panic/

Sharks and things

2010-02-04T12:37:00.000-08:00

First, Sharks. Check out this story...

Sharks spotted one day after fatal attack |West Palm Beach News, South Florida Breaking News, Forecast, Video from WPTV

It is a very well documented fact that I am terrified of sharks (just ask the dudes from sabBROtical how calm and collected I was at the Sydney aquarium). For the record, had this story happened in Dec. I probably would have skipped the outback bowl trip - heck, I am even scared to leave the house (there is a lot of snow on the ground here in WI - the city salts the streeets - snowmelt + salt = saltwater, THE NATURAL HABITAT FOR SHARKS!!).

Second, things...

I have too many things. I was infuriated earlier this week bumping into the walls of my stairway to the garage with two arms full of computer bag, lunch bag, gym bag, water bottle, assorted papers and 2 (two) cell phones. This is getting out of hand.

How am I supposed to manage this situation? Multiple trips out to the garage? That takes a lot longer and is just as annoying. Less stuff? Ok, so maybe I could lose a cell phone - the rest is pretty important. Computer? Ya, need it for work. Gym bag? How am I supposed to get ultra ripped wearing business attire at the gym, Copernicus? Lunch? Seriously. No one is giving up lunch. I am willing to pay top dollar for ideas that lead to the solution of my conundrum.

And while we mention the gym - let me step on my douchebox for a second... if I am in the middle of a circuit of MASSIVE pumps at a couple of different stations, DONT SHARK MY BENCH TO TAKE 10 LBS OFF THE BARBELL. MUSCLE MILK!! Wow, that looked even douchey-er in type than it sounds in my head.

As bad as things are, we should be thankful we live in a country where the biggest problems I can come up with are sharks, having too much stuff to carry down the stairs in the AM, and raging out at the gym over some genuinely stupid shit. Well, that and and horribly under qualified and ineffective President, but that is a topic for another post...

Anyway, keep your eyes peeled for the final post with Jimmy "Masterlock" Dugan tomorrow or Friday. After that its a few weeks of college basketball wagering and then (hopefully) a looooong summer.

I am the best blogger in the tri-county region...

Oh and Geaux Saints!!

It's MASTERLOCK weekend

2010-01-23T17:13:00.000-08:00

Great weekend last week - made a nice little money line play on Jets parlayed with the under on the same game. Actually, I recommended a buddy do that, but was happy to get one right and make him some cai$h.

It's championship weekend and Jimmy "Masterlock" Dugan can smell victory. The bookmakers are overconfident and ready to make some mistakes. His conference championship weekend credentials, you ask? Masterlock LLC has 15 straight years of winning at least one of the games, 7 straight years of going 2-0, and for the last 5 years has hit the championship weekend over under parlay. Thats a nice run...

Jimmy's Picks
Colts (-7.5) vs. Jets - Jimmy takes the COLTS for the sevenandahook
Saints (-3.5) vs. Vikings - Jimmy's stat of the week: Road teams, with 40 year old quarterbacks in championship games, where the QB goes against a DB who was once a teammate are a STUNNING 11-0 ALL TIME. This is the day to fear, Packer Nation... JIMMY TAKES THE VIKES!!

And remember... its only gambling IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING!!

Original audio: http://podcast.1029thehog.com/whqg/2177473.mp3

BS Report - Sports Guy and Millman talk about the fallout from last week (originally aired earlier this week):
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnradio/player?id=4836630

Wagertracker - as of writing this, the under for Vikes at Saints almost looks good... almost...
http://www.wagertracker.com/consensusPicks.aspx?sport=NFL

Tea Party in Taxachusetts!!

2010-01-19T20:16:00.000-08:00

Had to post something about tonite's big win - and no I am not talking about Ohio State's trouncing of my beloved Wildcats (yuck!). Scott Brown showed you can overcome an established political machine and culture to repudiate arrogance and anger in leadership. Brown's win in MA should set an example for all mid-term elections this year. Stay on message, stay aggressive, and for god's sake bring some common sense to the table. CLEARLY the Democrats have spent the last year overreaching, completely blowing their load. There has been no listening, no compromise, and this is what happens (it wasn't too long ago Republicans were in the same spot). Dems have a chance now to hit reset and come back to the table - if they don't, Nov. truly will be a bloodbath and Obama really will see his Waterloo.

Anyway, congrats to Senator Brown and his family (including an apparently eligible hot daughter, wink wink... maybe I should move to the commonwealth...). Finally some good news after a year of disappointment!!

I am fantastic at blogging!!

Divisional Playoff time!!

2010-01-15T19:50:00.000-08:00

Did really well personally last week, fading the conventional wisdom and parlaying Cards to cover with the over on the same game. CHA-CHING!! Of course that last sentence has angered the gambling gods, who i am sure will extract their revenge during the PAI-GOW tournament in between snow softball matches. Anyway, for your reading

JIMMY "MASTERLOCK" DUGAN'S Divisional Playoff Picks

Saints (-7) vs. Cards - according to Jimmy's crack research staff, QBs returning to the site of a previous Superbowl loss (Warner vs. Pats), which are born again Christians AND on a dome team playing in another team's dome, coming off a five TD performance, are a 73-5-1 ATS. Jimmy takes Cards money line and the over!!
Colts (-6.5) vs. Ravens - Jimmy thinks the colts luck runs out, JIMMY TAKES BALTIMORE
Vikings (-3) vs. Cowboys - which Viking team is going to show up?? JIMMY TAKES
Chargers (-7.5) vs. Jets - water covers 2/3 of the earth, Revis covers the rest. BUT Jimmy always takes teams on a 11 game win stream - TAKE THE CHARGERS MINUS 7andahook!!

And remember... IT'S ONLY GAMBLING IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING

Always more fun in the original audio: http://podcast.1029thehog.com/whqg/2163849.mp3
(and Czaban STRONGLY recommends you fade his picks this week)

Millman's blog - line moves for the 2nd round:
http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?name=millman_chad
LOVE the recommendation for prop bet of under 8 punts on Saints-Cards!!

Wagertracker consensus picks (where I was inspired to take Cards last week when 70% of the public went Green Bay):
http://www.wagertracker.com/consensusPicks.aspx?sport=NFL

Sports Guy's Picks:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/100115/two

New Year, New MONEY!!

2010-01-08T19:01:00.000-08:00

New Year's resolution 1: Blog more often. FAIL

Oh well, it was worth a try. We'll see where 2010 takes us in terms of motivation. For now here is the gambling primer for week one of the playoffs. If I feel like it later tonite I may post an Outback recap (assuming I can hold back the tears).

Jimmy "Masterlock" Dugan is tanned and back from St. Bart's and ready to make you some money--

QUADRUPOLE REVENGE WILDCARD WEEKEND --
Bengals (-2) vs. Jets - In games featuring two warm weather college quarterbacks (USC) playing against each other in a rematch spot the team that shut out the other is in a hard spot. JIMMY TAMES OCHO CINCO AND THE BENGALS
Cowboys (-4) vs. Eagles - Jimmy takes the Eagles as the BARKING DOG
Patriots (-3.5) vs. Ravens - Jimmy is taking the Pats in this rematch
Cardinals (PK) vs. Packers - Cold weather teams, in games in domes with retractable roofs, in climates with less than 5" of annual rainfall, are 0-11 all time in January. Jimmy pisses off the state of WI and picks the Cards.

And remember... ITS ONLY GAMBLING IF YOU DONT KNOW WHAT YOUR'E DOING!!

Jimmy in the original audio: http://podcast.1029thehog.com/whqg/2150367.mp3

Brandon Lang's picks:
THIS IS NOT HERE BECAUSE I JUST FOUND OUT CZABAN NO LONGER HAS A SHOW ON FOX - REPLACED BY STEPHEN A. SMITH. WTF WERE THEY THINKING!!!???!!!

Sports Guy's Playoff Picks and Analysis:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/100108

Wow it's been awhile...

2009-12-26T13:18:00.000-08:00

So friends, it has been a busy holiday season and I have neglected your weekly sports betting updates (along with every other kind of post) for a couple of weeks. NO MORE!! Not only are we going to have a fresh set of Jimmy's picks today (well, sort of fresh - one of them is already played out and wrong), but I am going to do a better job of organizing bowl info and sharing dining recommendations for the greater Madison area (actually have a few to catch up on!!). Anyway, hopefully you had a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Krazy Kwanza, Fantastic Festivus, or whatever the hell you celebrate... I know I did. If you were late getting your shopping done, please feel free to just drop you gifts off at my place in Fitchburg - I'm out until at least the 5th or so. On to making money (presumably to finance the aforementioned gifts for yours truly).

Santa Jimmy is in town and has plenty of wins to go around - he's coming off a 3-0-1 week, so plenty of momentum heading into the holidays. Here are Jimmy Claus' picks for this weekend --

Titans (-3) vs. Chargers - He's already got this one wrong (D'OH), Jimmy takes the Titans
Steelers (-2.5) vs.Ravens - Jimmy likes BALTIMORE
And two dogs, a glorious pair (not unlike the glorious pair that Mrs. Jimmy Claus has!)--
Saints (-14.5) vs. Bucs - Jimmy takes the lowly Tampa Buccaneers to beat the Saints
Cardinals (-14.5) vs. Rams - Jimmy takes St. Louis to cover the big wood

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a parlay!!

Jimmy in original audio: http://podcast.1029thehog.com/whqg/2126850.mp3

BOWL BETTING BONANZA: Millman consults several experts for your complete preview through the end of the year. A good primer on how the lines for bowls are set, what the handicappers and wise guys are looking at, and then a run down of the games.
http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4765954&name=millman_chad

Great run down of the week's NFL lines with historicals:
http://www.sportscapperisland.com/forum/nfl-football-betting/34973.php

weekend action

2009-12-13T11:48:00.000-08:00

After going 0-4 last weekend, Jimmy "Masterlock" Dugan is looking to make amends... so for week 14 you are getting an astounding 7 PICKS plus the 50 star interleague lock of the galaxy on the 900 number.

First, the favorites
Falcons (+10.5) vs. Saints - THE SAINTS ARE BACK AFTER A HICCUP IN DC
Colts (-7) vs. Broncos - JIMMY TAKES THE COLTS OVER AN OVERRATED BRONCOS TEAM
Bucs (+3.5) vs. Jets - JIMMY TAKES THE JETS ON

Then, the dogs
Packers (-3.5) vs. Bears - JIMMY TAKES CHICAGO ON THE SHORT COVER
Texans (-6) vs. Seahawks - KUBIAK IS SAYONARA WHEN SEATTLE BEATS THE TEXANS
Vikings (-6.5) vs. Bengals - JIMMY SEES FAVRE FALLING APART AND TAKES CINCY

And the Barking St. Bernard, where you may want the points, you may like the points, and your completely entitled to the points, but YOU AREN'T GOING TO NEED THE POINTS
Titans (-13.5) vs. Rams - JIMMY SAYS YOU CAN TAKE THE POINTS IF YOU WANT THEM BUT DOUBLE UP ON THE MONEY LINE

Always better in the original audio: http://podcast.1029thehog.com/whqg/2105308.mp3
Get a jimmy shirt: http://lakecountrycyclones.spreadshirt.com/red-lightweight-dugan-ringer-t-A1983756

Brandon Lang on a Czabeless Czabe's Show:
http://a1135.g.akamai.net/f/1135/18227/1h/cchannel.download.akamai.com/18227/podcast/LOSANGELES-CA/KLAC-AM/czabe%2012-10-09%20Brandon%20Lang.mp3

Uggh I was at the game where Buffalo lit us up for 54:
http://espn.go.com/blog/afceast/post/_/id/7444/video-bills-hung-54-on-chiefs-last-year

Sports Guy is always a fun read:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmonsnflpicks/091204

Wilbon's article (trying to feature other NU alums on the ol' blog) on BCS sucking:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/09/AR2009120904194.html?nav=emailpage

TMQ:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnradio/player?id=4727109

punish your guy!!

2009-12-04T10:57:00.000-08:00

Jimmy's Picks thise week are hotter than Elin after finding out about Tiger banging everything under the sun. We're anticipating 3 casinos having to suspend opperations for the better part of the week based on the money the 'Masterlock' is going to make you.

Chargers (-13.5) vs. Browns - JIMMY IS TAKING THE RED HOT 8-3 CHARGES MINUS THE LUMBER
Cardinals (+3.5) vs. Vikings - JIMMY LIKES THE SHORT 3.5 FOR THE VIKES
Redskins (+.10.5) vs. Saints - JIMMY WILLTAKE THE HIGH FLYING SAINTS IN HIS 10 STAR PLAY OF THE DECADE. 'SKINS ARE GETTING LIT UP LIKE A XMAS TREE!!
...and for the barking dog, where you may like the points, you may want the points, and you are certainly entitled to the points but YOU DONT NEED THE POINTS
Eagles (-5.5) at Falcons - JIMMY TAKES ATLANTA PLUS THE FIVE AND A HOOK. Here is the number you NEED to know... convicted felons playing for a different team in games matching the same species mascot (birds) returning home in a reserve role after a prison stint of longer than 18 months are a STAGGERING 0-17-1 ATS. EASY MONEY!!! THE MONEY TRAIN IS LEAVING THE STATION!!

I have completely lost track of his record - didnt make pics last week, spotty pod casting, etc. So I will try again next year. Sorry.

Jimmy is always better in the original audio:
http://podcast.1029thehog.com/whqg/2093903.mp3

Brandon Lang's Picks on Czaban's Show:
http://a1135.g.akamai.net/f/1135/18227/1h/cchannel.download.akamai.com/18227/podcast/LOSANGELES-CA/KLAC-AM/czabe%2012-03-09%20Brandon%20Lang.mp3

Sports Guy's Week 13 Picks:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmonsnflpicks/091204

Last CFB Line moves from Millman:
http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4710806&name=millman_chad

baboons, dildos, and dining on Madison's west side

2009-12-04T07:48:00.000-08:00

Firstly, there is this...

Created by Oatmeal

Now that we've got that out of the way, it was requested by a frequent reader that I put together a list of west side dining establishments. I'd like to make that a recurring topic, so I'll start with 3 of my favorites and then try to eat at a new place every week and write about it. Or just make stuff up. FUN!!

Laredos
Style: Mexican
Description: One of my favorite spots in Madison. Now with 3 locations, I prefer the classic one at Whitney and Odana. Miller and I once ate 3 straight meals here. The portions are generous, the prices are cheap, the food is pretty tasty and the margaritas flow freely. They have daily lunch specials for around $5.50 - pair it with a small margarita and you've got an 'executive' lunch for under $10. What a bargain. My favorite is the burrito tapatio or steak jalesco. Also can't go wrong with the combo plates, but those are a bit more pedestrian than the named dishes (understandibly).
Cost: $
Awesome Factor: Fast and Tasty.

Ottos
Style: American, Steak
Description: Another favorite. A real classy place tucked away on Mineral Point between Whitney and Gammon. Some of the best Martinis I've had in Madison. Great steaks, but a diverse enough menu to bring visiting family or business clients. Good desserts too, if I remember. Been a while though. Actually, now that I think about it, Dan Ulatowski bought me and Rick dinner here once, and I am not sure we paid him back. I hope he doesn't read this.
Cost: $$$
Awesome Factor: Best steak place on the west side (I'm not counting chains like Ruth's or Flemming's)

Sai Bai Thong
Style: Thai
Description: The best Thai food at Odana and Gammon. Ha. Ok but seriously pretty decent Thai place close enough to work to grab a quick lunch. Plenty of classics and good curries to boot. I always end up having 2 or 3 Thai iced teas with my meal, I think I have a mild chemical dependence. Anyway, I've had dinner here a few times and remember being more impressed with the lunches. Oh well, worth a try anyway.
Cost:$$
Awesome Factor: Good lunch spot. Ok Thai iced tea

catching up...

2009-12-02T23:34:00.000-08:00

wow so it has been a while since i rapped at ya. a lot of stuff to write about, and don't worry i am working on another weekend preview for you degenerate gamblers out there. anyway, here are some things I wanted to catch up on. disclaimer - it is pretty late so i am expecting my spelling to be atrocious. deal.

1) Wisconsin Drivers

Ok I have wanted to write about this for a while... on a daily bases am infuriated with what passes for competent driving in and around Madison. I understand it is probably the most cliche argument I can make - I feel like everyone complains about someone else's driving. But it is just BAD here.

I have an honest question - what do they teach first in drivers ed here: matching speed with people trying to merge into traffic from an on-ramp OR not pulling into an intersection to turn left when the light is green. And then EVERYONE here will tell you how bad Illinois drivers are. Going to NU I've had the opportunity to drive around Chicago a fair bit. and yes while the drivers there can be erratic, it is a completely predictable crazy (if that makes sense). You KNOW the guy that just pulled on and is accelerating is going to cut across 3 lanes of traffic without looking. In Madison you have no idea.

I just drove to Springfield, MO and back for Thanksgiving. I can confidently say there are appreciable differences between WI to IL to MO. Missouri is certainly the most laid back. A little slower, but overall pretty relaxed. Outside of Chicago, IL is pretty non descript. Very flat. Kansas like. WI is just all over the place. What a mess.

2) Tiger Woods

I didnt really think I would want to write about this, or have anything original to add to the discussion. But this is literally the only thing folks are talking about on the sportstalk radio that I listen to, and wanted to vent a little. Here is my take: the whole debacle just underscores how much of a commodity celebrities and athletes have become.

He cheated on his wife - sure that is a slimey thing to do, but at the end of the day it happens a lot to a lot of people who are married. He didn't invent cheating, and he probably won't be the last guy to cheat. Power and wealth afford opportunities for such pursuits. Ultimately, though, it is a family problem and up to Tiger and Elin to figure out.

What makes it a story is the pedestal Tiger was put on as part of his crafting himself a brand (or the corporations he is affiliated with that crafted that brand) and whether this will have an impact. He isn't superman anymore. And the fact that he was raised so high before, the tabloids and trashy celeb mags LOVE tearing people down and greasing the wheels of the story to sell as many copies as possible.

Are people going to give up on Tiger? Of course not. He, like all athletes, is human. He'll make more mistakes, but the brand is still there. As long as he is dominant at golf (or even competitive really), he will remain a powerful brand that can be commoditized and sold on/as golf clubs, shirts, cars, hell even consulting firms. The Tiger brand will be fine. This will be footnote soon enough. We should leave his family problems for him and Elin to figure out.

3) Cops

Got a pretty neat link from a friend (thanks Colette!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8z7NC5sgik

Now this is intersting because it makes sense, and is absolutely the best advice you could get, but flies in the face of everything we're socialized to believe from TV and movies. Fascinating stuff, I promise to devote an entire post to this later.

4) Charlie Weis

Will be brief here - Charlie Weis is smart guy, but shouldn't have gotten that long extention for 'almost' beating USC a few years back. He will make a good O Coordinator for an NFL team soon (perhaps even my Chiefs). At the end of the day though, I don't know who would want the ND job.

To deal with the entitlement culture of ND football nation would be more than I would guess almost anyone would want to tackle. Weis was an alum (read somewhere that he even roomed with 'Kansas City' Joe Montana, anyone know if that is true?), so there had to be some sentiment there. But taking that job for someone else seems like it would be marrying a chick who used to be hot yet expects you to look like Fabio and be hung like Mr. Ed. Yes ND has a storied history, they used to be great. USED.

Will ND win another national champhionship? Sure, probably. I even hope so - it is neat to see the old, great programs have success from time to time (makes for great montages to play during pre-games). But I dont know if they will ever be a perennial contents, and ND Nation needs to warm up to that.

And I know most people think it will be Brian Kelly taking the ND job - hate to see someone leave a progream they rebuilt, but nice to see a guy get recognized at a national level (and paid) for a great job. I swear though if they make a run at Pat Fitzgerald and steal him a la Parseghian I will leave the country. Sigh.

p.s. who did the ND AD think he was bringing up the legacy of Rockne, Parseghian, etc. in the press conference. Wasn't that before most people in the country were born? That is like us longing for the days of James Polk as a country. Odd
.

also - I am one of the greatest bloggers, ever

BIG FOOTBALL WEEKEND!!

2009-11-23T13:53:00.000-08:00

What an awesome football weekend it was for our hero. BIG win for Northwestern at home against the haughty Badgers, and my Chiefs pulled out an impressive overtime win vs. the heavily favored Steelers. I was actually in attendance on Saturday at the game, which was exciting throughout. It was the fullest I have seen Ryan Field since the Ohio State game I went to a few years back (when they were ranked about 4 or so and we managed to beat them). Coincidentially that was also the last time I rushed the field - always fun to celebrate with the team after. Almost missed it though, as when we cascaded down the bleachers one gave out underneath me (insert fat joke) and I face planted, managing to scrape up my leg. Luckily people behind me noticed and there were no trampling deaths :).

Yeah, I know it probably wasn't a "field-storming" worthy victory - UW wasn't really ranked that high, and the win *likely* won't have an effect on the Bowl game we go to (even though we have a better conference record than the Badgers and beat them H2H, they'll probably still get the Outback Bowl bid because they have a bigger footprint). In fact, the charging mom almost jinxed themselves out of a chance to get on the field a la Arizona later that night. After UW's late fumble we got the ball back with around 2 minutes - more than enough time for the Badgers to potentially get it back. Well, as the aisles began to fill with students headed for the turf that is exactly what happened. We got a great pick to ice it, but couldn't help but feel a little lucky given the premature-rush angering of the football gods. Still was a blast, and always fun to beat UW as I am friends with a bunch of alums here in Madison.

Some bowl thoughts --

ESPN Bowl Projections:
http://espn.go.com/college-football/bowls/projections
Big Ten specific discussion (we should get an at-large BCS too, which will help the NU cause):
http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/13840/big-ten-bowl-projections-week-13

(Note comments are based on the week 12 projections) Looking at either The Outback or Champs Sports for the 'Cats. Either would be nice, but I figure to get in to the 'better' Outback bowl UW would have to shit the bed @ Hawaii next week. While we did beat Bucky, I am a realist and given how well UW travels I'd imagine Outback might pick them. Either way a FL bowl ain't bad, and will be a great time for New Years. And besides going to my 3rd Alamo Bowl seemed excessive - though it is the last year the Big 10 will participate (they are trying to raise their profile and invite higher ranked teams, some attribute partially to the great MU-NU contest there last year).

ESPN Video Recap:
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4678070

Also, great to see a win for the Chiefs this weekend. For the first time this season Chiefs fans feel like there might be some light at the end of the tunnel. Don't get me wrong, they are still bad. They will not make the playoffs. Next year either probably. The Chiefs are still young. I really hope the new players and coach can use the last few weeks success to build for the next couple of years. Probably still going 5-11 or so, but at least it isnt the dumpster fire burning in Oakland, Cleveland, St. Louis, etc.

Great article from Whitlock:
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/columnists/jason_whitlock/story/1587222.html

I am friggin' rad at blogging...

MAKE. THAT. MONEY!!!

2009-11-20T11:39:00.000-08:00

Alright folks, I'll take a departure from my normal 'Masterlock' post and offer up my own unbeatable lock for the week (which of course I can't take credit for, heard about it on Czabe's show Thursday from some dude headed to Vegas with some buddies. But it was pretty good so I thought I would share):

The Texans are playing at home against the Titans this week. It is important to note the Texans will be wearing their 3rd alternate "Battle Red" jersey, confirmed on the official Texans website. Why is this important, you ask? To most this is inconsequential, but to hardened gambling degenerates you MUST read between the lines. At awesome HQ we sent this to the research deptartment, and the record of teams that play in "Battle Red" 3rd alternate jerseys at home in November coming off a bye week against in-division rivals whose city stole their team and in which the previous week were beaten by an undefeated team is... AN ASTOUNDING 37-6-2 AGAINST THE SPREAD. Don't be scared of the public moving the line from Houston -3.5 to -4.5, THIS IS A 'BATTLE RED' ALERT, BUCKLE IT UP, LIGHT IT UP, SMOKE IT UP THEN LOCK IT UP OF THE CENTURY. Take the Texans all the way to the bank and make your man back the money truck up to your soon to be full of cash pitiful excuse for a mansion.

Shame on Bob and Brian - no Jimmy "Masterlock Dugan" podcast (I wasnt in my car at the time he called in for my drive to work, so I am woefully pickless). If they decide to post it in the afternoon, I'll add an update BLOG entry. anyway, here's my normal compliment of assorted links--

Colin Cowherd's SIZZLIN' SEVEN:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnradio/story?page=sizzlinseven

Brandon Lang's Picks from Cabe's show:
http://a1135.g.akamai.net/f/1135/18227/1h/cchannel.download.akamai.com/18227/podcast/LOSANGELES-CA/KLAC-AM/czabe%2011-19-09%20Brandon%20Lang.mp3

CFB Line moves of the week (notice NU getting no respect - big steam for UW):
http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?name=millman_chad

DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH FOR A CHANGE (or at least copy off someone who knows that they are doing, i.e. the football scientist):
http://www.thefootballscientist.com/kcjoyner/

Top 8 Reasons to see Lions vs. Browns:
http://espnradio.espn.go.com/espnradio/index#

BONUS SECTION:
Here is a good article on the twilight of the college football season being a great time to get some action on college basketball. It's got a link to a handicapper I am not familiar with, but is proported to be very helpful to folks new to sports betting.
http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/insider/news/story?id=4666774

Czaban in Wisco

2009-11-17T18:32:00.000-08:00

So a lot of you know Steve Czaban is one of my favorite sports talk radio personalities. I first became familiar with his work when he would call into the Bob and Brian show every morning for half an hour. For a while before 100.5 FM became ESPNRadio in Madison, they would play fox sports in the AM and sync his nationally syndicated 3 hour show (formerly "First Team on Fox", now "The Steve Czaban" show). This was on even earlier in the AM, so was good to listen to while I drove to work or stream for early morning breaks between meetings. Sadly now that the four letters have taken over 100.5 I have to stream any of the show to hear, though it allows me to listen to most of the show throughout most days.

Where am I going with this? Czaban visited his buddies Bob and Brian over the weekend to go to a Bucks game Sat and the Cowboys at Packers game Sun. Had a some funny stories and pics posted to his blog, worth a listen / viewing if you also enjoy the Czabe. If you aren't familiar, I recommend checking these out and listening to a few shows this week - good stuff, man...

Audio from Czabe on Bob and Brian on his visit:
http://podcast.1029thehog.com/whqg/2065247.mp3

First hour of the Steve Czaban show:
http://a1135.g.akamai.net/f/1135/18227/1h/cchannel.download.akamai.com/18227/podcast/LOSANGELES-CA/KLAC-AM/czabe%2011-17-09%20hr%201.mp3

Czabe's blog with commentary and pics:
http://czabe.blogspot.com/2009/11/adventure-excellent.html

also, i'm super cool at blogging

Nobody Likes Mondays

2009-11-16T19:42:00.000-08:00

I think the weekend should be expanded to include Mondays. Who is operating at their best first thing Monday morning? No one. At the very least you're mildly upset to be at work, at worst full on rage. I remember being little and Sunday night being the best sleep I'd get all week. Now its a few hours of semi-recovered-from the weekend emergency sleep so I wont be a complete zombie at work monday (just semi-zombie, the kind that craves the 8000 character limit for formulas in excel 2007 in lieu of brains).

At the very least this should be standard practice for football season. Who can be expected to function at 100% after a full day of tailgating and chicanery on Saturday and the beer and food onslaught that is most NFL Sundays. After an unexpected night out Friday (which really should be expected at this point, I don't know how I realistically still think that I'm going to "take it easy" one of these Fridays), I spent all of 0 minutes Saturday sober. Didn't drive anywhere, didn't operate farm machinery, just had a really good time for over 24 straight hours. That as a lead in to football on Sunday didn't help. Napped through most of the early games out of neccesity more than anything else - the only thing that saved my life was the Thanksgiving (Rehearsal) Dinner Trina fixed for the lot of us on Sunday. The tryptophan coma that induced was enough to save coherency monday from the jaws of lethargecy (yeah I made that word up).

Imagine how great an extra weekend day will be - a full day to catch up around the house when stuff is open normal hours and such. Time to watch all 4 hours of Mike and Mike then listen to Colin Cowherd while you putz around the house. Get a few emails done, catch up on junk work - you could still get 40 hours in working Tues - Fri (don't most European countries have 35 hour workweeks anyway)? As a former 60-70 hr a week lemming I can say that 1) you don't need to work that much to get things done and 2) living like that plus the aforementioned weekend itineraries will take miles off your life.

So enough madness. Weekends should now be Fri-Mon. We'll start with a pilot of Sept - Feb, talk about adding the warm weather months later. Who do I need to talk to about getting this set up? Does Obama have a Days-of-the-Week Czar (yet)? Wouldn't be surprised...

Also Zach Greinke should win the AL Cy Young tomorrow. Check out his season in pictures: http://www.kansascity.com/984/gallery/1566201.html

Also also... I am really quite skilled at blogging

Backing up the money truck to the sports book window...

2009-11-13T08:16:00.000-08:00

Is it just me, or is Chicago absolutely awful against the spread this year. Maybe it seems like they can’t cover only on weeks I pick them in my pick’em pool, but man have they been killing me. I have to take at least part of the blame this week – I picked up a Cutler jersey last weekend. What does he do? Immediately goes out and throws 3 picks. Awful. I am typhoid mary of replica jerseys (currently looking for a way to unload my #27 Larry Johnson Chiefs jersey).

Anyway, on to this weekend’s sports investing primer. As always, I’ve recorded the top four picks from Jimmy “Masterlock” Dugan. The Cash Hounds are out barkin’… for the #1 Jimmy in America for sports Handicapping. We’re goin’ to the window and we’re goin’ strong!! After a few comments on the 30 for 30 documentary on Jimmy “the Greek” Snyder this week (and how the Greek still owes him money from a 9 ball game back in Stubenville, PA), the Masterlock got on to some picks--

Redskins (+4.5) vs. Broncos – DON’T BUY INTO THE DOUBLE REVERSE LINE, JIMMY TAKES THE BRONCOS
Colts (-2.5) vs. Patriots – JIMMY TAKES PATS PLUS THE POINTS
Steelers (+7.5) vs. Bengals – JIMMY TAKES THE UNDERVALUED BENGALS FOR SEVEN PLUS THE HOOK
You may like the points, you want the points, but you aren’t going to need the points for this week’s BARKING DOG PICK:
Cardinals (-8) vs. Seahawks – ARIZONA IS DUE FOR A LETDOWN, JIMMY TAKES THE SEAHAWKS PLUS 8

And remember… it’s only gambling IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING

Last week: 4-0 (wow)
Week 7 to date: 8-4

Always better in the original audio: http://podcast.1029thehog.com/whqg/2058452.mp3

Bill Simmons BS report picking the lines for the week: http://sports.espn.go.com/espnradio/player?id=4642381

Brandon Lang’s thoughts on the sports betting landscape this weekend: http://a1135.g.akamai.net/f/1135/18227/1h/cchannel.download.akamai.com/18227/podcast/LOSANGELES-CA/KLAC-AM/czabe%2011-12-09%20Brandon%20Lang.mp3

Chad Millman takes a look at the college point spreads: http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4641500&name=millman_chad

Reflections on travel...

2009-11-09T07:21:00.001-08:00

So I used to travel a lot for work and got pretty used to the grind of planes, trains and automobiles. Those days are long gone though, and this weekend I went on my first air-travel trip in almost 6 months. Had a few thoughts on travel that I hadn't considered for awhile, and since I am a nice guy I will share:

--Traveling for the first time through post-merger MSP was weird. Sort of like coming home from college to find your parents remodeling their place, only they stopped after a coat of paint and updating the signage on the courtesy carts.

--Flying over Chicago on a clear night is just plain cool. The grid of lights seems to go on forever, and the skyline looks like you could pick it up and rearrange it like legos.

--Efficient-packing muscles are the first to atrophy. Did I really think I would need 4 tshirts, a sweater, coupla nice shirts, work-out clothes (ha!), two belts, a long sleeve polo and a Chiefs jersey for a 48 hour trip? Only 2 pair of jeans – I feel like I should have been able to pack everything I needed in a small backpack. At least I had room for new stuff I was able to pick up while out there (jeans and a Cutler jersey).

--Sparks RED is awful. The appeal of 8.0% alcohol swiftly drew me in (a full percent higher than Sparks PLUS), and who doesn’t like “natural cherry flavour” in their energy malt beverage. Excited, I cracked the can and eagerly took my first sip – disgust! The hints of butt and paint thinner were too much to overcome. Don’t buy, stick to the PLUS.

--I had forgotten how amusing my dad’s travel recommendations were. Whenever I would go to a new city and tell him about it, he would always have a few spots he’d suggest I try from when he had a job that put him in different cities all the time (Army, phone company, etc.). Exchanges like this are common--

“There is this great Chinese place 2 blocks up from the Hilton on the second floor, gotta try it.”
“Which way is ‘up’?”
“You know, up.”
“So when was the last time you ate there again?”
“Oh, probably about 1973…”

--Lock it up - the smaller the plane, the hotter the flight attendant. (ed: this applies only to domestic carriers. I'm told Emirates Air hires exclusively beautiful people).

--The highway interchanges in downtown Cincinnati are nearly impossible to navigate. It took me a solid half hour longer than it should have to find my friend Carrie's place. Everywhere should have a Chicago style grid. Also a Chevy Cobalt can get up to 90 mph, but it will take a while, and a gentle downhill slope.

as always, i am stupendous at blogging

Scared money don't make none!!

2009-11-06T07:33:00.000-08:00

It’s that time of the week boys and girls. The money train just pulled in from Cashville on it’s way to Currency City and Jimmy “Masterlock” Dugan has your NFL picks for the weekend. Special treat this week, as all the picks are underdogs (maybe a bit bold given all the covers we’ve had this year, but oh well he is the EXPERT - just check out his credentials, listed below).

1993 Western Nevada Handicapper of the Year
2001 Kiwanis Club Football Expert of the Year
2005 Medal of Distinction Harrah’s $2 Slot Tournament

Eagles (-3) vs. Cowboys: HOW ‘BOUT THEM ‘BOYS
Dolphins (+10.5) vs. Patriots: JIMMY TAKES THE DOLPHINS
Bengals (+3) vs. Ravens: JIMMY TAKES THE BENGALS
BARKING DOG where you may like the points, you wan want the points, and by law you are going to get the points in Nevada, Curacao, Antigua, Antilles and other unaffiliated gambling havens offshore.
Colts (-9) vs,. Texans: JIMMY TAKES THE TEXANS PLUS THE BIG NUMBER

Last week: 2-2
Ooerall (since I've been tracking, week 7): 4-4

Remember -- Only bet as much as you can afford to win!!

Original audio, courtesy of Bob and Brian podcasts:
http://podcast.1029thehog.com/whqg/2046168.mp3

Great, entertaining blog post on some of the greatest gambling meltdowns of all time...
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=4230110

Brandon Lang's Picks, from Czabe's show on thursday:
http://a1135.g.akamai.net/f/1135/18227/1h/cchannel.download.akamai.com/18227/podcast/LOSANGELES-CA/KLAC-AM/czabe%2011-05-09%20Brandon%20Lang.mp3

Sports investing this weekend...

2009-10-30T13:06:00.000-07:00

Another fun sports weekend is upon us. I am diligently trying to organize a Vegas trip, so I can quit writing and start MAKING SOME CAI$H. Or get hosed. Either way I imagine I'll have a good time. As always, the best (or at least most fun) of sports talk radio's betting analysis compiled by your buddy (me). On to your weekend betting preview--

Jimmy "Masterlock" Dugan's KING SIZE picks for this week

"He owns the Vegas Point Spreadmakers... He knows the lines before they do. He knows the lines they are thinking about posting before they do. He knows the line they think they thought before they changed their mind to post the line that HE'S GONNA TAKE DOWN..."
RAVENS (-3.5) vs. Broncos JIMMY TAKES THE RAVENS
CARDINALS (-10) vs. Panthers JIMMY TAKES CARDS (Jake Delhomme is the bowl of candy with a "please take one" sign...)
EAGLES (pick'em) vs. Giants JIMMY TAKES THE EAGLES
and the barking dog, where you may like the points, you may want the points, and by law you are entitled to the points, BUT YOU DONT NEED THE POINTS
JAGUARS (+3) vs. Titans JIMMY TAKES THE JAGS FOR A STRAIGHT UPSET WIN
Last week: (2-2)
Since I started tracking: (2-2)

Listen to it from the horses mouth: http://podcast.1029thehog.com/whqg/2032947.mp3

Brandon Lang (inspiration for "Two for the Money") on Czaban yesterday: http://a1135.g.akamai.net/f/1135/18227/1h/cchannel.download.akamai.com/18227/podcast/LOSANGELES-CA/KLAC-AM/czabe%2010-29-09%20Brandon%20Lang.mp3

When the squares win, the squares keep betting - http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/insider/news/story?id=4602483. Take down your man and buck the trend, friends!!
Remember kids, it's only gambling if you don't know what you're doing!

Vaya con Dios, Brah...

2009-10-27T07:50:00.000-07:00

"If you want the ultimate, you've got to be willing to pay the ultimate price. It's not tragic to die doing what you love..." ~Bodhi

so last night i hosted movie night - had to prepare for the invasion of swayze for our group halloween costume. what better movie to get into the mood than Point Break. i saw this gem of a DVD for $5 at Sam's last week, and couldnt resist given the impending Swayzification. "what abou his other movies, this isnt even the best one" you ask? i could care less about dirty dancing, point break was the apex of late 80's / early 90's swayze. they only movie where keanu reeves and gary busey actually get to play themselves. you'vre probably familiar with the infinite monkey theorem, where if you give a thousand monkeys a typewriter and an infinite amount of time eventually they would pound out the complete works of william shakespeare? well, if you gave one monkey a laptop, half a bag of decent grass and a weekend he could crank out the screenplay for Point Break (I am reasonably certain this is how most movies from that time period were created - note Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, also released in '91). The writing combined with the delivery of the lines is fantastic unintentional comedy. I wish every movie was like this - not bad to the point of unwatchability, merely awful enough to take immerse one's self in over-delivered lines and hilariously forced dialogue. the best were the impossible yet cliche action sequences - off duty cop just happens to be at the bank robbery, Keanu jumping out of the plane sans parachute to catch the skydiving Bodhi, etc. oh 90's, how i miss your movies...

Also, if you haven't seen it in a while, check it out and tell me the bank security guard from the heist gone wrong isn't the spitting image of Kevin from the office:

Kevin: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1580911/
Security Guard: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0032033/

oh well.

HALLOWEEN UPDATE: well so far we've got a solid line up for the weekend - roadhouse swayze, ghost swayze, SNL chippendale's swayze and farley. working on adding johnny utah / tyler from point break, and if we have to a dirty dancing tandem. any other recommendations (don't say Too Wong Foo...)?

im pretty darn good at blogging

weekend catch up

2009-10-26T18:05:00.000-07:00

what a weekend! had hoped to write a bit from Chicago but a beer in each hand makes typing difficult.

big homecoming win for Northwestern, was at the game for a 26 point comeback win (final IU 28, NU 29). granted it was beating Indiana, which is kind of like picking on the slow kid on the bus, and we did dig a big hole early, but a win is a win.

highlights from the game: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4591212

it was a feat to even make it to the game after a late night friday. started at NU homecoming open bar from 8-11 at Joe's on Weed, which was really close my buddies' appartment. i feel like Joe's is a pretty good event bar, but i don't know that i recall ever going there for its merits as a bar to meet or hang out at. we were late showing up, thanks to the slowest thai delivery place in Chicago. i wish i rememebered the name to recommend against it - took over an hour and half to get the food. we gave the guy 50% of the check, which he was lucky to be getting at all. and thai food isn't that conducive to "hurry and scarf in 10 minutes" dining conditions. inhaling pa naeng followed with 6 hours of drinking made for a GERDy tailgate.

anyway, we made it to Joe's and some heavy tipping at the beginning of the evening helped ensure minimal line obstacles when it got crowded (though it seemed like it wasn't nearly as packed as years past and was probably unneccessary). i must be getting old, i recognize fewer folks each year. was fun though, and we certainly got a good start to the boozin' for the evening. from there it was to Kincade's for beers and meeting up with friends, and beers and beers.

saturday came early - was up by around 7 to prep for the tailgate. a still-drunk visit to the Dominick's on Howard brought back memories from my college days. Reloaded with beer, meat, and assorted other tailgaiting supplies we moved on to pick up our friend Ryan and his bags set. For future reference, you can fit 4 dudes, tailgating supplies, a tent, and couple bags boards (5x3-ish fair estimate?) into an Altima... but it isn't comfy. It wasnt a long ride to the SPAC lot and despite some early snow/rain ended up being pretty good weather to tailgate in. Saw a few old friends, stopped by the old frat house for a Homecoming reception, then on to the field to take on Indiana (well, i didn't take them on, but you get the idea).

firstly, i really hate seeing the stadium as empty as it was. the NU side was reasonably packed, but wasnt a lot of red on the other side (compared to when Ohio State or Wisconsin is in town, when the red in the visitors section spills over into the cheap seats). game was typical cardiac cats tempted-to-leave-but-they-find-a-way-to-stay-in-it-enough-that-you-can't. NU games seem to always be blowouts or nail-biters, no real power rush clock control slugfests. this makes for a lot of fun games to watch. coming back from 28-3 was the biggest comeback in school history (unfortunately it didnt break the record for largest deficit overcome, which happened 2 years ago when i left at half time when NU led Sparty 35-3. you can guess how that ended).

sunday started slow, easing into the early NFL games at Wrightwood tab with Giordanno's and beers. the Chiefs really suck this year, making it real hard to be a fan. will devote more on that front to a future post. caught a ride back to Madison, had some much needed vegetables for dinner and caught up on Tivo with friends at my place. great weekend...

i am fantastic at blogging

IT'S ONLY GAMBLING IF YOU DONT KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING

2009-10-23T12:06:00.000-07:00

It's been an interesting year so far in the NFL and College Football. I have recently gotten into reading about sports gambling. In my research (mostly reading Chad Millman's blog on ESPN and listening to Bob and Brian in the morning on my way to work) I stumbled across a diamond in the rough. Each week that he is not being chased down the streets of Las Vegas by sharks and bookies, famed football handicapper Jimmy "Masterlock" Dugan calls in his picks to share with the boys. Always a lot of fun to listen to, and though I am a bit late starting for this season I'm going to try to start tracking his effectiveness...

Jimmy "Masterlock" Dugan's picks for this week
Patriots (-14.5) at Tampa Bay (technically in London, where Jimmy thinks NEW must have lost 5 or so points on the spread in baggage claim) - JIMMY TAKES THE PATS
Colts (-13) at Rams - JIMMY TAKES THE COLTS
Falcons (+4) at Cowboys- JIMMY TAKES THE FALCONS
and the barking dog, where you may like the points, you may want the points, and by law you are entitled to the points, BUT YOU DONT NEED THE POINTS
Saints (-6) at Dolphins - JIMMY TAKES RONNIE BROWN TO RUN ALL OVER THE SAINTS FOR THE OUTRIGHT WIN

More entertaining to listen to than read: http://podcast.1029thehog.com/whqg/2022126.mp3 (and for the brain behind the Masterlock hop over to http://www.czabe.com/)

Other Dugan/Czaban fans, anyone have his record for the year? I'd like to start tracking it here

Also, for those of you on twitter, and who are actually interested in placing a few friendly wagers (I would never encourage the actual betting of US dollars on sports unless you lived in Vegas, Delaware, or the other two states I dont rememeber where it is legal), @johnny_detroit sends interesting tips throughout the week. I was pleased to see an update from him that the line on the NU game (our homecoming) moved from -4 to -5.5 this week. GO CATS!!

I am excellent at blogging

there will be blog

2009-10-23T08:01:00.000-07:00

So this is the first post. i tried to make the title as cliche as possible, so i googled blog and this seemed to come up frequently. when i googled stupid blog names however, it only returned results that were actually named "stupid blog name." granted i only read through the first dozen or so, but that was enough.

I hope to be able to share my thoughts on any number of topics that are probably of little interest to you: sports, gambling, politics, the crazy shit my friends and I tend to get into, etc. Maybe someone out ther in the inter-web will enjoy it. Probably not.

Shoot me an email if you are going to be in Chicago this weekend, I am headed down for Northwestern homecoming. Always a good time.

I am awesome at blogging