Apologies if this Blog of AWESOME isn’t up to par…I’m a bit tired after softball last night…and after waiting for the longest…train…in…the…world.
Well, technically, it wasn’t even long…it wa sonly about 15 cars and 2 engines. (this happened at 8:25 over at the corner of Fuller and Railroad)
I was the first car that pulled up to the tracks…the gate was already down…and I waited…the train cars in front of me weren’t moving…then they moved a little forward…then a little back….then the engines discoupled from the cars, and moved on down the tracks….the gates stayed down…for another 5 minutes…then another 5 minutes…then engines came back…and went past the cars…and disappeared again…another 5 minutes went by…then the engines came back and finally re-coupled with the cars….that took another 5 minutes.
The gates finally raised at 8:47….a 22 minute train…I nearly sat through and episode of 2 1/2 Men (which is a show that I can’t stand)…To be honest, I’d rather wait for a train than watch that show.
How does a train take 22 minutes? Ridiculous.
Khloe Kardashian is Gross -
DO NOT WANT!!!!!!!
Inside and out, this girl disgusts me. I feel like just by posting her picture, I’ve ruined today’s Blog. Sorry about that.
After Khloe Kardashian, This Will Make the Blog Feel Better -
Okay, I admit…as a Hawkeye fan, I’m looking past the Arkansas St. game…we should win easily….I’m already looking towards Michigan…and I HATE Michigan…always have, always will. I have a couple of Wolverine friends, and the trash talking is already in full effect.
Here’s my favorite video from Michigan this year… (it’s 9 seconds long…it’s Michigan QB Tate Forcier being congratulated after a TD throw…he had hurt his shoulder earlier…and apparently, he can’t handle pain very well).
Bartine, Ryan, and Brent all clubbed homeruns last night. Well done. (To be fair, Bartine also swung and missed at a pitch…and he posed afterwards like he had hit it…he must have hurt his back doing it….my wife was watching the game, and nearly fell out of the bleachers laughing so hard).
Jon Gosselin Fired -
Good…get him off my TV…I’m tired of both of them. Their ratings are incredibly bad…I can’t believe that CNN and FoxNews spend this much time on them…when they were drawing 10 million viewrs a week, I get it, they’re popular….but now they barely get one million viewers a week…they’ve become insignficant.
First off…it’s getting to feel more like fall…and there is no better clothing item to wear to work (if you can…I know some businesses have a slightly stricter dress code than radio stations, ha ha) than a hockey jersey. Long sleeved…but lightweight….perfect.
However, this leads me to my point…my normal attire is shorts/jeans and a t-shirt/sweatshirt…about once a week, I will go meet Jennifer for lunch somewhere. She’s always dressed nicely and professionally (along with everyone else at the restaurant)…and then I walk in wearing my normal get-up. I always feel like such a bum. I get the sense that they feel that I’m an unemployed bum….fantastic.
I’m Easily Confused -
So on Friday night before the Dave Matthews concert…I got very, very confused. What was my problem? I encountered a non-automatic paper towel dispenser. Ridiculous…seriously, I have apparently been over-spoiled with automatic towel dispensers..and automatic flushing urinals. I washed my hands…then walked to the non-automatic dispenser…and I waved my hands in front of it…no towels…hmm…so I smack the side of it…still nothing…I end up just shaking off my hands as I walk away. It wasn’t until I was about set to leave that I saw some guy use his hands and actually pull down the paper towels. I’m an idiot.
Don’t even get me started on non-automatic urinals…if it’s non-automatic, I won’t even know, I always just walk away and just figure it’ll flush on its own.
Bauder’s Pharmacy -
If there’s a better, friendlier pharmacy than Bauders (on Ingersoll)…I’ve never seen it. They are fantastic. I’ve gone to the pharmacist a couple of times, and he already knows me as a Hawkeye and Cubs fan…I used to go the same Walgreens for 8 years…they never recognized me once. Well done Bauders.
I Drink Girly Drinks -
In my ever-growing list of me enjoying girly drinks…here’s two more :
1 - Passion Fruit Lemonade at Starbucks
2 - SanPellegrino Limonata - buy them in bulk at Costco…sparkling lemonade. AWESOME.
Two Horrible Tastes -
On the heels of things that taste good…here are two things that always cause you to have bad taste in your mouth -
1 - Hangovers - this one is a given. Why does a great night out always taste so bad the next morning?
2 - Waking up from a nap when you’re traveling - This occurred to me when we were driving back from the game on Sunday afternoon…I dozed off for bit in the car, and when I woke up…my mouth just tasted awful. It’s all pasty…phlegmy…and just nasty. Even gum doens’t taste good when you try to get rid of the taste.
Mowing the Lawn -
I mowed the lawn yesterday…hopefully for the last time this fall. Who’s with me?
Microwave Problems -
Yesterday, my wife went to microwave something…and all of a sudden it made a weird noise…and started smoking. That can’t be good. How do you make a Hot Pocket without a microwave?
Hope everyone had a good weekend…everyone seems tired this morning…that usually translates to having a good weekend.
Brett Favre Strikes Again…Ugh -
This is me at the MetroDome Sunday for the 49ers-Vikings game…
People got a big kick out of it…while walking into the game…Fox Sports stopped me to film me walking into the stadium…and probably throughout the course of the game, I took my picture with at least 20-25 people…(Look for me on random Facebook pages apparently, ha ha).
I do think he’s a traitor, and I’m nowhere near prepared to forgive him.
(NOTE: My dad was very concerned that I would be wearing this jersey…he worried that I was going to be beat up. For as long as I can remember, my dad has always been worried about me getting beat up because of what I was wearing. If I went to a Cubs-Brewers game in Milwaukee, he’d be overly concerned that I was wearing Cubs jerseys….even in high school, if I was heading down to Chicago, he and I would argue about whether or not I could wear my high school jacket…his argument was always “Maybe there’s someone down there that doesn’t like Libertyville, and he’ll let you know about it”. Gotta love dad. NOTE 2: No fights ever.
I can’t believe Brett Favre did it again…ridiculous. Not only did he win the Vikings game…but that TD gave my buddy EJ 6 points for the TD, 1 point for another 25 yards passing, and 6 bonus points for going over 300 yards. I’m playing EJ in fantasy football this week…and going into tonight’s game, I’m trailing by 26…and it’s all Favre’s fault. Not only is Brett Favre breaking my heart now…but now he’s breaking my bank too. Thanks a lot…jerkface.
Seriously though…how does the man do it? Ugh.
Notes from the game:
1 . My wife in her Vikings boa? - The hottest any person has ever looked wearing Vikings stuff.
2. We sat in the last row of the 2nd deck of the Metrodome…those stairs are a killer. My knees are sore.
3. We sat right behind a post…but I got a good workout leaning back and forth around the post to see the game.
4. I was in the bathroom when the 49ers scored on the blocked field goal…oops.
5. When the 49ers got the ball with 1:50 left in the game…1/4 of the MetroDome left (even though Minnesota had 3 timeouts left)….but 1/4 of the fans left! HUGE OOPS.
Dave Matthews Band -
I think I’m done with Dave Matthews Band concerts…I didn’t think it was as great as a lot of people said it was. Maybe they just had a better experience.
Dave Matthews Band is a great band…they put on a great show…I used to have crazy love for DMB back in college…I think I’ve just moved on.
Every song the DMB played ended up in a 10-15 minute jam. I’m totally fine with the occasional jam sesssion…but after 8 in a row…I’m getting bored. Dave has hundreds of songs that we all want to hear, so why not cut the jam sessions a bit short, and give us some more Dave songs that we can sing along to?
Part of the problem may have been that Jennifer and I were down on the field. I felt like I was at a Drink Tent Party on a Friday night…everyone was hammered, and having conversations with each other. There were so many people yelling to each other that it got hard to hear the band. To the four guys in front of us…each of you are going to High Life after the concert…we get it…we all heard it 12 times…yet, you four still seem to be confused.
The set list from Dave wasn’t my favorite…I’ll admit…I haven’t paid much attention in the past 2-3 years, so I don’t know the new stuff…but this concert seemed very heavy on the new stuff. Except for Ants Marching, their encore was almost completely unfamiliar to me. I guess I was just hoping for a lot more of the favorites. Maybe I’m just gettin’ too old for this, ha ha.
On the plus side, The stage looked great though…and from the times that we could hear Dave over the yelling, he and the band sounded great. Oh, and concerts at Principal Park are verrrry cool. They need to continue this tradition…maybe 2 shows during next summer?
Also, I’ll throw this out there…have the Bucs or the Chops/Name to be Determined play an outdoor hockey game there during the winter. That would be tremendous!
The Pumpkin Run -
Here are some pictures that I snapped from the Pumpkin Run and all the festivities that happened Saturday out at TimberPine Nursery in Earlham.
It was a great race…thank you to everyone who came out and raced, and to all the families that came out to support them!
Some highlights -
1 - If you look at some of the pictures, you’ll notice our boss (Mr. Allen)’s daughter, Hailey, in a bunch of them. Jennifer and I are two of her very good friends. She’s little cutie-pie.
2 - Mr. Allen…he successfully completed his 2nd 5k…if you look at his photo though, you’ll notice the blue shirt…when he came running up the final hill, we all thought he was wearing his blue Star polo. Nevermind…kind of an inside joke.
3 - My wife and our friend Sarah completed the race in grand fashion. Well done!
4 - I led the Kids’ Pumpkin Patch Dash…when did kids get so freakin’ fast? I finished like 23rd….not a good showing by me. It was probably because I hadn’t stretched properly. My favorite part had to be when Ken looks at me and says…
Ken: “You know the route right?”
Kurt: “No”
Ken: “You’re an idiot”
Kurt: “I think we’re just running to Omaha, right?”
10-year old next to me: “We’re running to Omaha? That’s way too far”.
5 - I almost didn’t even run the race…they have kittens at TimberPine…I was too busy playing with them.
6 - It also marked the first time (at least that I can remember) that I went to a real pumpkin patch. I think I’ve always just bought my pumpkins at Hy-Vee or a road-side stop.
AND LAST, BUT NOT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST - THE MIGHTY MIGHTY IOWA HAWKEYES!
AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!
How great was Saturday night? The punt block and return by Adrian Claybourn will go down as one of my favorite plays of all time. That big boy has some wheels!
Penn State, sorry that your “White-Out” couldn’t help you’re over-rated QB figure out how to be a base defense…we’re just that good.
Adam Robinson and Brandon Wegher…ridiculous. Someone remind these guys that they’re freshmen, they’re not supposed to be this poised yet.
Note to Brent Musberger - Brandon Wegher isn’t from South Dakota…where are you getting your facts? Seriously, all night long…he just went on and on about him being from South Daokta…he’s from Sioux City…went to Bishop-Heland. Someone seriously dropped the ball in the fact-checking department Saturday night. Alright…Ken’s saying that he might have lived in South Dakota but went to school in Sioux City…maybe. I’m not buying it.
That was an AWESOME game…that’s all that can be said.
And we’re still playing without Bulaga? We can only get better.
From going unranked to #13? AWESOME. Go Hawks Go. Our defense is mighty…oh, so mighty.
AWESOME is as AWESOME does! (and the Hawkeyes are AWESOME)
(Sorry for any mis-spellings…it’s 3:42 in the morning…if you’re up real early, join us for the Breakfast Tour over at the Gateway Market downtown!)
First Some Shoutouts -
Thanks to Nathan, BoneSaw (the Blog of Awesome Barometer), Jenny, Julie, and Beth for their comments on the BOA yesterday. Be sure to check them out from yesterday’s post! Gracias!
A New High…Almost -
Our bathroom scale is pretty much hidden…we never use it. I took it out yesterday morning…I step on…and it reads 203. Sweet sassy molassey (seriously, not being able to swear on the blog sometimes makes me sound ridiculous)….anyways….203…I had never been over 200 before in my life. I step off…completely astounded at myself…then I step back on…now it read 198. Whatever…bathroom scales are dumb…and we need new batteries. Judging from this, I can only assume that if I had stepped back on the scale, I would have been back down to 193.
Wicked -
Wow…this was AWESOME. As a first time Wicked viewer, I was completely blown away.
The woman who played Elpheba (my spelling is bad) knocked it out of the park on the song “Defying Gravity” at the end of the first act. That was amazing. The woman who played Glinda was phenomenal as well. The two of them provided two of the best performances on stage that I’ve ever seen.
The way they tied this in with stuff that happens in the Wizard of Oz was genius. It sort of makes you want to watch the Wizard of Oz all over again to watch it with a new opinion of the “Wicked” witch. (of course, since college, I’ve been meaning to watch Wizard of Oz on mute while playing Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” along with it…I want to see if that urban legend is really true).
There was a comment yesterday asking about if it was appropriate for 9 year olds…and I would say absolutely. There wasn’t anything that would frighten someone….and judging from the group of 7-10 year olds around us, they were having a complete blast. A 9-year old would completely love Wicked.
My guess is that the woman who plays Elpheba (a.k.a. The Wicked Witch) is spray-tanned green before each show to achieve her green appearance…but since it’s going to be here for the next month…I would just encourage her not to wash it off after each show…she should just stay green during the day. So, if you see a green woman walking around Target…tell her she’s an amazing artist.
Overall - A+. We Iowans are lucky to have it here for nearly a month…it’s AWESOME. It was so good that my wife even bought a “Defying Gravity” shirt after the show!
“Toss, Toss” - (Those of you who have seen Wicked will get this…very funny).
Fong’s Pizza -
How good is Fong’s Pizza? Fantastic! We went with the Pizza Rolls (Thank you for the suggestion), and then we split the “Big Delicious” pizza. We were trying to remember what was on that…I think it as was Graziano’s Italian Sausage, bacon, chicken, onion, yellow peppers, and alfredo sauce. Their pizza menu was AWESOME. Next time, we’re definitely doing the “Iowan”…pork, bacon, sausage, corn….good stuff!
The service was fantastic at Fong’s too…our pizza came out perfect and very quickly. (Note: when asked about what type of crust we wanted…Jennifer says “wheat” before I could even answer…it was very good…you’re lucky Jennifer, ha ha…you could have ruined the pizza.
We didn’t have time last night…and there were only 2 of us…but we have to go back for some of the giant specialty drinks. 96 ounces of “Volcano Flow”? I accept your challenge, ha ha! Also, we didn’t do a Kamikaze shot, so I don’t have a picture to attach of us wearing the fighter pilot helmets…but we will definitely be back, and will definitely get the picture.
Hollywood Trash This Week -
Is it just me, or do all the stories this week in Hollywood Trash kind of suck? (NO OFFENSE TO COLLEEN HERE!…she’s just reporting the stories). But seriously, from Jude Law continuing to be a dirtbag, MacKenzie Phillips getting way too much publicity (I never even knew who she was before this week to be honest), to John Travolta having to go to court over the tragic death of his son….where is the fun stories? Seriously? Where’s Lindsay Lohan going nuts and leading the paparazzi on a high-speed chase while coked out of her mind?
Last week it was all stories about the Jerk Formerly Known as Kanye West…and this week, it’s just a bunch of stories that you can’t have much fun with it….boooo! C’mon Hollywood, you can do better…give us something we can use next week!
Seriously…Jude Law…dirtbag…ladies, please stop voting for him to be “Sexiest Man Alive”.
Dave Matthews Band -
This will be what, the 9th time I’ve seen Dave? It’s a question because I think for 4-5 of the shows…I was tad too drunk to remember much of the show. I know that they were AWESOME…but my liver would disagree. Maybe tonight I will choose “drinking in moderation”…can’t be a wreck for the Pumpkin Run tomorrow! Tonight will phenomenal show!
A shout out to my boss, Scootie/Mr. Allen, for hooking Jennifer and I up with tickets. When tickets went on sale for DMB, we were at that time paying for our Iowa football season tickets…we chose Iowa football. Much appreciated Scootie! Thank you!
Side note about Dave Matthews: My first car that I actually owned was a ‘93 Chevy Blazer…and when it wasn’t referred to as the “DeathMobile”, or “The Diesel (Note: it did not run on Diesel, but sometimes it smelled like it did…it was an AWESOME car…it couldn’t be stopped)…it’s name was Boyd…in reference to one of the coolest dudes around, the violinist for the DMB, Boyd Tinsley.
It will be strange not seeing LeRoi Moore on the horns though. RIP LeRoi!
I’ll, of course, have a review of Dave on Monday morning.
Until then, here’s my Top 7 DMB Songs -
1. Say Goodbye
2. Lie In Our Graves
3. Pig
4.#41
5. Crash Into Me
6. The Last Stop
7. (tie) Shake Me Like a Monkey / Grace is Gone (depending on my mood)
Weekend Shenanigans -
How great can this weekend work out to be? There is TONS going on -
#1 - Ken and Colleen’s Pumpkin Run at TimberPine in Earlham - Tomorrow morning…9:30am…race time…if you haven’t signed up, register tomorrow morning while at the race. It’s a great off-road 5k (if it rains, it’ll be even more fun!)…there’ s a kid’s Pumpkin Patch Dash, which I am leading…how embarassing will it be when I lose to a 6-year old? Answer? Very embarassing. Plus, after the race…all the pumpkin pie you can eat. AWESOME!
#2 - Iowa v. Penn State - ESPN Gameday’s at Happy Valley…Penn State is over-rated…Iowa is under-rated…Penn State isn’t that good…Iowa is only getting better. Bring on your “Sea of White” Penn State…I look forward to seeing the “Corner of Black & Gold” being louder than you. Remember last year Penn State? Thought so…well, you only got worse since then…Iowa only got better. Enjoy your time in the Top 5…it’ll be coming to an end by 10:21 Saturday night.
Oh, and to the dude from Penn State that sat behind me the entire game last year…and was an idiot (maybe he had never seen football before, that can be his only explanation, because he was an IDIOT when it came to football…you can’t call pass interference on a run play…idiot)…Anyway, I should have gotten his number…I would enjoy calling him Saturday night to remind him that Penn State sucks…and that he is an idiot.
#3 - Football Sunday
Okay, stay with me here…I’m a Packers fan…my wife is a Vikings fan…every year, we head up to Minneapolis with her dad for the Packers-Vikings game…we’ve seen some great game (we saw Brett Favre break the TD record 2 years ago…and last year was a competitive game (Stupid Mason Crosby, make a field goal already will ya?)…but then Favre went evil…and the tickets for the Packers-Vikings game skyrocketed out of our price range. We still wanted to take her dad (a huge Vikings fan…the first game we went to, he came out of the house wearing a Vikings #3 jersey…on the back? “George”. A freakin’ Jeff George jersey…AWESOME).
(note: for those that haven’t followed the illustrious career of Jeff George…it goes as follows…he was the QB for Illinois in college…he had a great arm…that was about it…he got drafted #1 overall by the Colts (no idea why they did this)…he didn’t do well…he played for like 8 other teams in 9 years before falling out of football…one year was with the Vikings…oh, I think he was arrested a couple of times too, but I’m not 100% on that).
Since tickets were too expensive…we bought tickets for the 49ers/Vikings game this Sunday. Yes…the 49ers and the Vikings. It looks like I’m the World’s Biggest 49ers Fan come this Sunday afternoon. I gotta find a 49ers jersey to wear…or I’ll break out the Favre Packers jersey with a big “X” on the front and back…with probably a swear word covering up “Favre” on the back.
Oh, the 49ers…my new favorite team…for 3 hours…this Sunday.
It will be incredibly depressing for me to see Favre run out as a Viking in person. That’s going to hurt….a lot. Maybe he’ll have one of those 4 interception days like he was prone to do so many times…yes, that would make me feel much, much better.
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND, let me know what you’re up too…also, if you snap pictures of anything ridiculous…send them to producerkurt@star1025.com ! The Blog of Awesome always welcomes ridiculousness!
Today is a big day for Jennifer and I….it was 3 years ago today that I proposed to her….and tomorrow, it will be 3 years from when she said yes. Ha ha. I’m just kidding…she said yes right away.
Eating Lunch With the the 5th Graders -
Yesterday was another “Morning Show Adventure”…a few weeks ago, we had Danielle, a 5th grader from Timber Ridge Elementary in Johnston, read off the school lunch menu each day for a week.
Highlights - Colleen trying to push her way through a sea of 5th graders to get closer to the front of the line….the 5th grade boy who asked Colleen if she was Delilah…being explained what the “High Five” bucket is….also, we didn’t do bad on Danielle’s “5th Grade Test” that she had prepared for us.
I’ll tell you what…school lunch seems a lot tastier now than it did back in the 80s/90s. The Cheezy Dragon Bread was excellent. I will admit, I felt like a giant holding the little carton of milk. I always remembered the milk carton being a lot of milk…now it’s like a shot glass of milk.
Plus, now when they pay, they just enter a pin number and you’re good to go. That would have been much easier than the pocket full of dimes I had back in the day.
We had a lot of fun with Danielle and her friends, and we thank her and Timber Ridge for having us out for lunch!
Cougar Town -
We wanted to watch this last night, but got busy so we recorded it…Colleen watched and said she liked it…anyone else? Cougar Town might be the best name for a television show in the history of television…ever. Who wouldn’t watch Cougar Town?
Wicked -
Tonight, Jennifer and I are going to Fong’s Pizza for some dinner (I’ve heard nothing but good things about Fong’s), and then it’s to the Civic Center to see “Wicked”.
I’ve never seen my wife genuinely excited about a musical (check that, she was really excited for the Lion King as well…but I also selfishly check that up to it being our 2nd date, and that was mostly just excited to see me again, ha ha). Jennifer has been talking about “Wicked” for months now…from all reviews, it’s even better than what people expect. It should be a great show….I’ll have more on this tomorrow.
Did anyone go last night? If you did, leave a comment on what you thought!
New Pizza -
Next time you’re in the frozen pizza section….try the Digorno Flatbread Pizzas…they’re really good. We cooked up the “Sausage and Onion” one last night…it may be a suitable replacement until Palermo’s Rustico Buffalo Chicken pizza returns. The Palmero’s Buffalo Chicken pizza is the most AWESOME frozen pizza ever. For some reason, they’re not in the freezer section anymore. What’s up with that?
Lost Symbol -
So I’m now 100 pages into Dan Brown’s “Lost Symbol”…I’m worried that this book is going to be too smart for me. Fantastic.
2 Overrated Celebs -
I’m sick and tired of all stories relating to these two celebs….Megan Fox and Kristen Stewart.
Megan Fox - Really, she’s on every cover of every magazine…and her interviews are absolutely horrible, and kind of disturbing. Maybe she needs some help? Right now, the big thing is the video of her kissing another actress in her new movie (that tanked) “Jennifer’s Body”….it’s on every gossip site…and everyone seems to be going nuts over it. I haven’t watched it…because I could care less. I know there are guys who are like, “It’s Megan Fox kissing another girl…that’s awesome (I lower-cased that awesome because it truly isn’t all that awesome).”. She’s acting…sort of…she’s not much of an actress…in a movie…well, not much of a movie. Everyone just relax…it’s already had like over 500,000 hits on YouTube… really? Really?
Kristen Stewart - This is not a slam at Twilight, so don’t worry Twilight fans….but I think that Kristen Stewart is one of the most miserable actresses walking the planet. Have you ever seen this woman smile? Really, life sucks at 19 that much?
Here’s a picture of Kristen Stewart…smiling…very fun.
You hate having millions and millions of dollars? In EVERY interview I’ve caught of her, she always seems annoyed with every question. One question was, “What was it like it on set kissing Robert Pattinson?” Her reply was a disgusted look with a “what, who cares?” Just answer the question…don’t be rude about it…it’s a question that many girls would like to know I’m sure…and you’re being a jerk about it. Apparently, in a recent interview, she’s also complaining about how much attention is focused on her…sorry, that’s what you get when you’re in a movie version of one of the biggest selling book series of all-time. Learn to lighten up…and stop being so rude.
Yesterday, Ken, Colleen, and I did a tour of the Capitol (you’ll hear more about that during an upcoming Breakfast Tour stop at Baby Boomers next Friday).
Ever since my mom took me to visit Drake back in 1995…my mom has always wanted to see the inside of the Capitol….but I refused…always. I feel a little bad now…my mom’s a librarian, and she would absolutely go nuts over the Law Library at the Capitol. (although, I think my mom might get kicked out of the library…her ability to speak in a whisper is questionable at best, ha ha.
We took the trek up the 130 stairs of the spiral staircase to the “observation deck”. Can I just say that I HATE spiral staircases…ever since my dad and I went up the Statue of Liberty back in 5th grade, I’ve hated going up spiral staircases. Just continuing to spin around and around and around…then when you’re just a little tipsy, you’re sent out to the top, and you don’t have good balance…perfect.
I will give props to Ken…he HATES heights…but he walked all the way around the inside of the dome as well. He was flush up against the wall the entire time…but he took a few peeks over the edge.
I don’t want to ruin the fun that we had on our Tour (NOTE: Ken used to be a page at the Capitol…and yesterday, he did something that he was never supposed to do…but he lived a dream…I won’t spoil it)….but my refusal to go to the Capitol was unwarranted…it’s very, very cool. If you haven’t checked it out…go…take a 1/2 hour - 1 hour tour…you’ll be impressed.
The Lost Symbol -
Picked up Dan Brown’s latest book “The Lost Symbol” on Monday….I’m only about 25 pages into it, but much like “Angels& Demons” and “DaVinci Code”, I’m totally into it already. I didn’t want to put it down last night. So far, all I’m gathering is that it’s a lot of secret societies, secret rituals, and more secret stuff…but this time, set in the US. Knowing how quickly I’ll go through a book, I hope to have this finished by next week sometime.
I Love You Man -
Due to a busted right ring finger (and the fact that I had some work to get done last night), I didn’t go to softball last night. When I got everything done, Jennifer and I rented “I Love You Man”…give it a solid B+. It was a typical Paul Rudd movie…funny, but with an underlying message of sincerity. (Sometimes the sincerity gets in the way, but not this time, well done).
The message? How do us as guys make new friends? It’s a good question…how do you do it? Do you ask a guy out for a drink? That doesn’t always hit the ear right…we guys are always a little suspicious about questions like that. I honestly don’t know how you make new friends after college….I got lucky, I just adopted all my wife’s guy friends….and that led to softball…which led to more friends.
Other than that though…how do you make new friends as an adult? It’s a question I know Colleen has asked as well…she needs some more friends. Ask her to be a friend…she will like that.
I Stink…but Only on My Left Side -
I don’t know how this happened…but sometime during the Iowa game…my left armpit began burning. What’s up with that? It must have been some weird reaction to the Old Spice deodorant I use…but it hurt like heck. Anytime I would touch it, or my arm brushed against it, it would hurt…it’s gotten a lot better, and should be completely gone by tomorrow…but since I can’t wear deodorant on that pit, my left side stinks a little.
NOTE: I do wash it really good…so it smells like soap, but still, I feel very unprotected over there…and I won’t be raising my hand anytime soon. Even at the Bruce Springsteen show, I only saluted the Boss with my right arm…my wife was on the left side…I didn’t want to ruin her night.
As much as I complained about Esquire Magazine yesterday…they did have a pretty cool article about “Things That Bring Us Permanent Joy”. Note: This list would of course be topped with wife, family, friends, cats, the Cubs, etc….but the list I have compiled is more universal.)
Things that bring me “Permanent Joy” (in no order)
- The opening chords of Pearl Jam’s “Alive”
- Chevy Chase in “Vacation” running in slow motion to “Chariots of Fire”…it’s when he leaps with his arms out-stretched just as the cymbals hit that instantly causes joy.
- YouTube search - “Sneezing Panda”
- Rabbits, squirrels, and other small rodents running down a football field…and the crowd reacts as it gets to the goal-line.
- Google image search - “koala”
- I’m borrowing this one from Esquire, but they are soooo right…Biggest Loser weigh-ins.
- Seeing a fantasy football sleeper that you drafted in the 8th round becoming a star.
- 2003, Game 3 - Cubs v. Braves Playoff game - Ken and I were there….The best Cubs game I’ve ever been to…the last time Mark Prior pitched well. It’s what “hope” felt like.
- Bill Murray in movies from the early 80s…(Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, Stripes)
- Buying a new piece of technology, and not only being able to figure it out…but that it also works on all your existing equipment.
- When your plane lands safely.
- The opening to Europe’s “Final Countdown”
I will have to keep compiling the list…but I like this…what is your “permanent joy”?
Review of Pearl Jam’s “Backspacer” -
AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME. I will admit, I’m a fan of all the Pearl Jam albums…but I’m not that much of a homer to know that No Code and Yield weren’t the best. However, “Backspacer” is tremendous.
This CD seems to focus mainly on just living and living life…and I swear Eddie Vedder is smiling while he’s singing during some choruses (chorusi? I don’t know my plurals). Pearl Jam sounds like they’re having a lot of this album, and that’s fantastic.
“Just Breathe” might be my favorite song on the new album…finally…a Pearl Jam wedding song (I know some people have used “Release” as a wedding song, but that’s always been a little weird to me). “Just Breathe” is a beautiful song…and different than anything Pearl Jam has done before.
“Got Some”, “The Fixer”, and “Gonna See My Friend” just shred through the first 12 minutes of the CD. The whole CD is 11 songs in about 37 minutes. I LOVE that…I have a short attention span…but I was happily able to sit through the CD 3 times yesterday (I didn’t get up to 6 as I hoped I would…I will try to rectify that this afternoon).
Eddie must have been spending a lot of time on a beach while writing these songs…there’s a lot of references to water, oceans, rivers…again, I’m nowhere near complaining. This album is fantastic.
Also, this is the first time I can remember Pearl Jam using a strings section in their songs…it added a great touch. Welcome back Pearl Jam…but that’s not correct either…you NEVER left.
The Boss -
Last night’s Bruce Springsteen show was fantastic! I will admit, that this is a shortened review…we left around 9:45 (I had to get home…otherwise, I’m a wreck for the rest of the week).
How is The Boss turning 60 tomorrow? There’s no way a 60 year-old can do what he’s doing…he was phenomenal. He sounded great…and he was the ultimate showman. Running around the stage, interacting with the crowd, and looking like he was completely enjoying every moment of it.
There were a few times when Bruce ventured into the crowd, shaking hands with every one that wanted to touch him, and never seemed put off by women falling all over him. (Some artists always look annoyed or scared when that happens, he looked like he was completely at home out in the crowd).
The E Street Band was flawless. From joking with Steven Van Zandt about the Sopranos, to Clarence Clemons on the sax, to Max Weinberg’s drumsticks moving at the speed of sound, the entire Band was energetic, tight, and just kept the party going.
I don’t think anyone left disappointed from the show.
Perhaps, most importantly, for the first time in the 10 years I’ve known the man…I saw “Concert Ken”…and heard “Concert Ken” sing. May I never hear that again, ha ha…I’m just kiddin’ Ken, you have the voice of nightingale.
The only downside was that the show was supposed to start at around 7:30…but didn’t get underway ’til about 8:30…During the show, though, Bruce commented about the trip here being a “real chore” (Note: he used a swear word there instead…I gave you the radio-friendly version)….so maybe the storms delayed his arrival. Either way, Bruce more than made up for it with his nearly 3 hour set. Well done!
Pearl Jam’s latest album “Backspacer” is out today. (Note: it’s on Itunes and Amazon and all those online distributors…if you’re looking to pick it up in the stores though, the only spot is Target). Looks like as soon as I get done with work, I will be at Target this morning.
From all accounts, “Backspacer” is AWESOME. I will have a full review in tomorrow’s Blog of Awesome. (By then, I should have been able to listen to by…umm…probably 6 times, ha ha. I know we Pearl Jam fans are extremely excited for the new album!
Also, PearlJam.com has released the concert bootlegs of the 2009 Tour so far…of course, I’ve already bought the August 24th show I was at…but I think I will have to buy at least 2 more. Most definitely, the Philadelphia show in a month.
Esquire Magazine -
I subscribe to Esquire magazine…they have good articles…but that’s about it. I don’t really understand Esquire…and I am clearly not rich enough to be their target audience.
Here was a question that was asked (and answered) by Esquire Magazine :
1 - Can you wear a pink shirt with a cordovan belt and shoes? - I don’t even know what this means…what’s cordovan? Why wouldn’t you be able to wear it with a pink shirt? This was one of 7 ridiculous questions that were asked in the “Style” section.
2 - Even though all suits look the same to me…Esquire recommends the two button-three piece wool suit, for only $5,050. Really? Only $5000 for a suit? Why wouldn’t I pay that? I would love to be walking around Des Moines wearing a 1/4 of a car. Re-donk-ulous!
Oh, but it doesn’t stop there…you have to accessorize the suit right? Here’s what Esquire recommends for any suit…
1 - The tie - of course, you need a tie made from a collaboration of Hermes and Liberty of London - only $165. if I ever pay more than $100 on a tie…please, call me an idiot to my face. (unless it’s a Chicago Cubs tie…in which case, I HAD to have it)
2 - The pocket sqaure - I don’t even really know what these are…but they want me to buy one for $18. Isn’t it just a handkerchief? I really don’t get the pocket square.
3 - The watch - I love a good watch. Fossil makes a lot of great watches…for like $125 and less. Esquire says I should opt for the stainless-steel ALT 1-P Watch by Bremont…only $5,250. Wait, let me get this straight? A watch…which I always hit against doorways, cubicle walls, the desk, etc….you want me to spend another $5,000 on a watch? Who has the type of money to spend on a watch? By the way, I look at the picture of the watch…it doesn’t even look that nice. I woulnd’t buy it if it was $200…not very stylish.
4 - The shoe - I would go with a low-cut Adidas or Nike shoe…or for formal occasions, a pair of black shoes I bought on 90% clearance three years ago. Esquire says I need to update my shoe-wardrobe and get some leather shoes by A. Testoni….retail price $905.
Now, I’m not the strongest with math…but by my addition…I would be wearing an $11,000+ outfit. Are you kidding me? I couldn’t even imagine how ticked I’d be if on my first night out in that suit, I go get a nice dinner and spill on myself.
For the record, no one is walking around wearing $11,000 outfits…if you are, seriously, you make too much money…or you don’t mind incredible credit card debt.
Just once, I’d like for Esquire to be like…”Target has nice shirts too…for $19. Enjoy”.
The Boss -
Bruce Springsteen concert tonight….which should be a great, great show. Jennifer and I are very excited to see The Boss…he’s been on my list of “Artists to See” for a good 15 years. Without further ado…here’s my Top 8 Bruce Springsteen songs.
1 - Atlantic City
2 - Brilliant Disguise
3 - Into The Fire
4 - My Hometown
5 - Streets of Philadelphia
6- City in Ruins
7 - Glory Days
8 - Born in the USA
One song I won’t be looking forward to tonight is “Born To Run”…ugh, I hate that song. I don’t know what it is about that song, it just grates on me. It should be a great show tonight…and yes, when The Boss plays “Born to Run”…you will see me singing..what? I have no shame, ha ha!
Iowa Continues Rollin’ -
How good did the Hawks look on Saturday? They looked AWESOME. Many of us thought that Arizona’s speed was going to be a huge matchup problem for us…but umm…did my eyes deceive me, but it appeared we looked like the faster team. We looked great…and news to Penn State fans…you DON’T have the 5th ranked team in the nation…you’re Top 20 for sure…but you are wayyyy overrated…and I am eagerly looking forward to watching watch the Hawks can do on Saturday night in Happy Valley.
Notes from the Game -
1 - Our tickets are in the North End Zone…our fans must get smarter in the North End Zone. Some guy like two rows behind us was adamant that every tackle made by the Wildcats was a facemask. Every single play…it didn’t matter what happened on the field…he was certain that it was a facemask. Dude, shut up.
2 - A long day of tailgating - The game wasn’t ’til 2:30…we left Des Moines at 5:30, and got there a little after 7:15ish.
Here are some photos from the 7 hours of tailgating … you’ll notice that it’s not always a good idea to pass out in front of us (NOTE: that’s my friend Jim…and those are my fingers…just for the record). Here are the pics…
3 - I’m not a fish guy at all…just shellfish. While we were tailgating though, our friend Brent grilled up some Mahi-Mahi…holy cow that was good. It didn’t taste like fish at all. Consider me a fan for sure.
Good Food Sunday -
That’s what I’m calling Sundays at our house…Jennifer out-did herself again yesterday. For starters….she made me buffalo chicken dip…which was outstanding…it’s a cheesey dip with chicken, bleu cheese, and hot sauce. This was even better than the dip she made last week.
Then…for dinner…she prepared a lasagna, which was fantastic. She melts the ricotta cheese perfectly, I don’t know how she does it….but it comes out perfect every time.
Then…for dessert…pumpkin cheesecake. This is one of Jennifer’s best dishes…it’s part pumpkin pie..it’s part cheesecake…it’s total deliciousness.
Note: I gained 4 lbs yesterday…I’m fine with that. It’s gotten to the point that whenever I see Jennifer breaking out the crockpot, my stomach starts getting excited!
Great job sweetheart.
Smashburger Update -
Our boss, Mr. Allen, texted me on Saturday afternoon….he was enjoying a Smashburger. I’m glad I could help.
Tomorrow…a review of the Springsteen show, and “Permanent Joy”.
(Note: Thanks to my friend Benny W. for catching this, and sending it to me. My friends are my publicists, ha ha). (My wife is my agent)
Why Does Des Moines Stink?
This morning, I got up an hour earlier to get stuff ready for our first Breakfast Tour stop (Thank you to the Reising Sun Cafe, we had a blast…be sure to catch us next Friday at the downtown Gateway Market)…as I was driving down down I-235 out to Polk City…I couldn’t get rid of a smell in my car…I thought maybe I had secretly passed a little gas and it had come back to attack me…but it wasn’t me…or my car…it was outside. It stunk out there. Why does our city stink in the morning?
While back at Drake, I rememberd a funky smell too sometimes, and someone said it was a pet food factory or something…I haven’t researched it since then, so I have no idea what it is. All I know is that we could use a mega-dose of Febreze in Des Moines sometimes.
Reviews of TV from Last Night -
The Office - Who foresaw Stanley having an affair? Stupid Stanley (although, I’m a huge fan of Stanley, so any episode somewhat focused around him is fantastic). Also, I love the internal dilemma of Andy debating whether or not he’s gay. “So Oscar, let’s just say Brad Pitt is trying to kiss me…but at first I resist…but then’s he persistent…so then I do kiss him, what does that mean?” “Why would Brad Pitt want to kiss you?” Hilarious.
Community - A solid B. I enjoyed it…and I think it will get much funnier. Chevy Chase wasn’t nearly as funny as I had hoped…but the supporting cast helped move the show along. I think it will get funnier over time.
Parks and Rec - This show is always hit or miss with me. It’s either really funny, or just plain boring. Last night, it was a hit. Well done. Amy Poehler’s character, in an attempt to have some fun at the zoo, marries two penguins…turns out, they’re both male, so now she’s accused of performing gay marriages…long story short, the final scene is her a minivan with the two penguins strapped in baby seats in the back, and she’s “Taking them to Iowa, it’s legal there.” Shout out to Iowa!
Always Sunny in Philadelphia - A+. Charlie using lawyer jargon…loved it. “Not only do you not seem to have any knowledge about the law…but you barely seem to have a grip on the English language”. The fact that the “sh” bomb was used over 8 times was a nice touch too.
Iowa v. Arizona -
Tomorrow’s Hawkeye game should be really good…it’s not ’til 2:30 either, which I thought was nice, because I would be able to sleep in ’til about 6, then get ready to head over to Iowa City for still a good 4 hours of tailgating. Plans changed though, as now the group Jennifer and I are going with are still planning on leaving around 5:15/5:30 that morning. 4 hours of sleep…and 7 hours of tailgating…I’d be stupid not to do it, right? ha ha!
Have a most AWESOME weekend…if anything fun, weird, exciting, stupid happens to you over the weekend, I want to know about it…leave a comment fo’ sho’!
That’s just a stupid play on words…because it doesn’t do Smashburger justice…Smashburger…is…AWESOME. Easily the best burger I think I’ve ever had (with my apologies to Wagzyu burgers and Fuddruckers). (NOTE: I am not a pitchman for Smashburger, but I should be…between Smashburger and Chipotle, they would both be well represented).
You know it’s a good burger when as soon as you take a bite, you blurt out a swear word as a compliment. Man, they’re good. I might go back for lunch today.
I went with the Spicy Burger….just a 1/2 pound of beef sizzled to perfection…served with pepperjack cheese, fresh jalapenos, spicy guacamole, and red onions all on a chipotle bun. Great spicy-ness…and the Burger just oozed with juices. My mouth is seriously watering right now thinking about it. Jennifer went with the Iowa Burger…which had bleu cheese on it and some bacon. She let me have 1/4 of it…and I loved it. Their fries are unbeatable…freshly made with some Rosemary topping them. No ketchup necessary on the fries or burger…the burger is juicy enough.
You know it’s a good place, when you (me) go up and order seconds…my second visit to the cashier was for a “Chicago Hot Dog”. It was the best Chicago dog I’ve ever had outside of Chicago. I need to try the Smashbrat.
Seriously, I’m going for lunch today again. Smashburger, thank you for your deliciousness.
Where is Smashburger you ask? In that strip mall at 22nd and University in West Des Moines (the one next to LoneStar). Apparently, they’re opening up a few more Smashburgers around Des Moines, so that’s even better news…if they put one right in the middle of Valley Junction, that’d be great.
New TV Tonight -
The new TV season is upon us…and so far, there hasn’t been much that’s really got me too pumped about anything…but that changes tonight!
8:00 - The Office is back! The best show on network TV…easily.
8:30 - The Community - Chevy Chase is back…I love Chevy Chase…people say he’s a jerk…he probably is…but I don’t care. Plus, The Community also stars Joel McHale from “The Soup”. He’s comedy gold.
Then…
9:00 - ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA - There is no show funnier…How they haven’t won an an Emmy for Best Ensemble Comedy Cast is ridiculous! They keep teasing a return of “Green Man”…fantastic! (Airs on FX).
Destination Truth -
Speaking of TV…I caught a new show on SyFy last night called “Destination Truth”. I don’t remember the “lead investigator”’s name…but pretty much, this guy and his team go to weird places (or places that have a mythalogical legend) to see if the legend is true. Last night, it was a small island in Mexico that is covered in dolls because a girl and the care-keeper had both died there…the dolls were incredibly creepy, and weird things did happen. Why would a doll’s eye just open like that? That’s freaky.
Then, he headed to the Bahamas to find this giant octopus (another reason why I hate swimming in lakes/oceans). Apparently, this octopus is like 50 feet long…crazy. He dove through all these underground caverns that few people had seen…and he claims he saw something huge moving around down there. Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t, but it was a cool show. It airs on Wednesday nights at 9:00.
Ken and Colleen’s Pumpkin Run -
Yesterday, we went out to TimberPine in Earlham to take a look at the race route for Ken and Colleen’s Pumpkin Run on September 26th. It’s a great course…a lot of great scenery, and some very fun challenges. It’s an off-road 5k, so there’s some fun running through the woods…and if you’re looking for a fun 5k, this is the perfect race for you. Sign up at star1025.com
Chris Brown -
This guy sucks…you’re smiling while doing you’re community service work? Oh, and fans are cheering for you? They’re cheering for a guy who got away for beating his girlfriend? Real nice.
Chris Brown and Kanye should join up to go on tour…that way a chorus of boos could just fill every arena. I wish I could use foul language…I’d have many more choice for this jerk.
Animal Planet This Morning -
Oh, it was Animal Planet on the way to work this morning…Around 56th and Grand, I encountered my normal family of deer (there’s 4 of them usually, I didn’t see the buck though this morning)…around the Art Center, a family of 5 raccoons were crossing the street…I hadn’t seen them before…then, at 42nd and Grand, another batch of 3 deer. I’ve seen around 5 deer before on the way to work, but never 7. Looks like I’m going to need a bit more caffeine in the morning to stay alert on my drive to work from now on.
