Posts

Showing posts from 2009

Tuff Bronco

The hours spent playing this at Tiny's house, using Christian Okoye like a battering ram. Best Sega Genesis game ever. Dear Santa......

Just Breathe

God Help Us All....It's Tropical Storm Ida

Image
Don't say that I didn't warn you . Although she's now weakend to a tropical storm, Ida still likes to be windy. Such a rarity to have late-season tropical system. What can you say, though....Ida doesn't like to be told that she can't throw a party. Here's some pretty pictures and stuff from this morning. Have a good time, Gulf Coast.....she's a helluva good cook! Give her a Margarita or two and she'll tell you who started the Chicago fires, too. ((Love ya, Ma!))

The Match That Lit the Fuse on Saturday Night

What a night it was at the Stadium. The place felt like it was packed with gun power, all the anticipation and frustration, the hope that they could pull off an upset. This opening montage of the Team Prayer that is done prior to the game in the locker room pretty much lit the fuse, and the place shook for 4 quarters.

Gran's Kitchen

I had never made it before, since I consider most sausage or bacon substitutes made with turkey to be direct insults to any turkey of distinction (or any hog, for that matter). It caught my eye in the frozen food section of the Pac-N-Save, as I was planning out some weekend meals. Mixed Berry Buckwheat Waffles with Turkey sausage links. With the endless bushels of leaves to rake, and the dreaded, long overdue cleaning of the once mouse-ridden shed, this seemed like a decent plowman's breakfast on a fall Sunday (Sorry....no pics). As we made it all up Sunday morning, I was captivated by the aroma of those links sizzling away. One of those rare but welcomed moments where an aroma pulls you out of your time and place, and takes you back to a memory only formed over years of expereinces there. I said it repeatedly to my wife, "It smells like Gran's kitchen in here." "Is that a good thing?", she replied. Always a good thing. That green screen door. One of those t

The Lost Art of the Professional Wrestling Promo/Interview

Watch and learn, kids.

Rich Dicks

Lincoln Good Eats: Ideal Grocery's Deli Counter

Image
I've been know to venture off the beaten path when it comes to finding a good plate of food. Call me old-fashioned, call me a hipster, call me a douche canoe.....I'll take a bubbling cauldron of mystery stew or a crusted-over pan of God-know's what over your typical fast food fare any ol' day of the effin' week. Which brings me to one of the most under-appreciated locales for good "fast" food for 90% of the general public....the deli counter at your small, still locally-owned grocery stores. Example #1: Ideal Grocery and Market on S. 27th St. in Lincoln. The place has been in business since the dawn of time, seemingly. It's the kind of place that smells familiar, like good food simmering away somewhere, that old lady's perfume that she got in 1975 & is still wearing. There's a produce section with primarily US grown veggies, not always cheaper, but still important enough to someone. THe meat on display in the meat counter is amazing....wel

Cleveland Tourism

I'm so there.

The House Band has a New Record

I call them the House Band , because they are, at least in my house. Great new stuff, amazing lyrics, all in a nice, tidy 37 minutes. Eddie's never been better at his craft.

Tightrope

The guy floors me every time I hear him. It's only when you see him own the guitar that you fully appreciate just how special this guy really was. Just a sick groove.

Birthday BBQ Pr0n

Image
In honor of my birthday today, here's some gastronomic eye candy for you to peruse. Better close your office door, though.....possibly NSFW for some of you. Just some random stuff from the backyard over the past year that didn't make it to the blog in any other form. Oh, and a pic of my first attempt at authentic championship Texas chili (no beans!). Welcome back to the blog. You've been missed.

Start.

Image
Start. It really is as simple as that. Problem is, I tend to put about 75 thoughts and conclusions in front of the actual start. I've been doing this since I was old enough to acknowledge that I was consciously choosing not to start something (or finish something, for that matter)....around 4th grade, I think. Over my formative years, this manifested itself into me becoming a world-class procrastinator, of which I reaped the benefits early and often. Benefits such as skipping out on chores around the house (and feeling the wrath fo such decisions later), failing classes for no apparent reason, missing assignments, and a general apathy for anything homework-related. This ultimately led to me missing out on things I actually loved to do, such as sports, because I was ineligible for periods at a time due to poor grades. When it came to college, it was a tougher task to just slack off, but I found ways. Ultimately, during my senoir year, when I had been coasting along, then suddenly l

Scream for me, Long Beach!!

Image
While my love of music now spans many different genres (many more than when I was growing up), I've come to realize that my traditional musical tastes do fall into a predictible pattern: Hard rock/metal, with a nod towards razor-sharp instrumentalism, and a tight forceful rythum & bass line. It's predictible because its fandom is made up overwhelmingly of geeky white guys. Not a lot of females (with any self-respect or dignity, for the most part) have their iPods loaded up with the likes of Megadeth, Anthrax, Rush, DLR-Era Van Halen, or Dream Theater (Anyone? Anyone???? Yeah.....didn't think so). Go ahead and put Iron Maiden in that category, as well. Blame it all on my older brother, but my disdain for terrible, cliched, bubble gum pop, glam rock, and anything written by Def Leppard was formed early on with my access to his 80's rock album collection. Still one of my all-time favorites was the 1985 Maiden classic Live After Death, a compilation of the best recordin

The Smoked SPAM Experiment

Image
"SPAM? Are you freaking kidding me, Dixon? I'd rather suck quarters out of an old man's ass!" * Yeah, I hear ya. Well, you're wrong, my friends. Consider this your permission slip to not only purchase a can (or four) of the tasty, beautifully pressed loaf of hog parts unknown, but delight in the consumption of it, MSG and God-know's-what else, be damned. I re-discovered this American delicacy on a pilgrimage to the SPAM Museum in Austin, MN back in 2003. My college roommate Mickey & I were returning to Des Moines from attending a wedding in Wisconsin, and saw the signs as we made our way west down Interstate 90 in southeast Minnesota. We determined instantly that this was a must-see. From then on, I vowed that I would never again frown upon the regular (yet in moderation, of course) consumption of this feigned food. It was a typical weeknight, with no real plan in place for a quick dinner. A scan of the cupboards can usually yield some sort of "Iron

Good Eats: Post-Race Victory Dinner

Image
Scotch Eggs Appetizer, with Bangers & Mash The Royal Mile, Downtown, Des Moines Celebrating the finish of the Dam-to-Dam 20k that morning. 5.30.09

Pray for the Falcons.....Again.

A good man who I never met was senselessly taken this morning from a community in Iowa who still desperately needed him. Here's to the memory of this good man.

Patience, Darlin'....Patience.

Fear not, followers.....more good stuff is simmering on the stovetop of the UUKBlog kitchen. Tasty vittles like running the Dam-To-Dam 20K, plenty more food & BBQ pr0n, Some Maui in Malvern nuggets, and other various what-have-you's. Long story short: Been busy. Since I've been accused in the past of hosting YouTube2, here's something random to keep you occupied for now. Eddie Vedder playing with The Boss and the E Street Band. If you don't like this, you have no soul, and I weep for you. Late!

Kansas City Good Eats Tour Stop: Dixon's Famous Chili

Image
Although I'm not in line for the family restaurant empire (nor am I even sure I'm related to this particular lineage of Dixon's), I can confidently say that my name proudly adorns a true culinary road food classic in Kansas City , my gastronomic home away from home. Located merely blocks from Kaufmann Stadium, the fellas and I decided early on that this was going to be our post-game meal last week. The only thing that I had heard about the place was that their version of chili is quite a bit different from what most everyone is used to. The only other place that I've heard of chili that is this unique is Cincinatti Chili, wich has a bit of a sweetness to go with the normally savory, tomatoey dish, and tends to be poured over plates of spaghetti. Whils bearing no resemblance to Cincy, Dixon's Chili is no less original. Here's the run-down on how it all comes together. First, every component of Dixon's chili is prepared separately. Only when you order do the

Must-Own Shirts

Image
It's hard to separate yourself from the rash of trendy funny t-shirts that the Hot Topic crowd seems to be buying these days, but here's a few shirt designs that recently caught my eye. One shirt was immediately purchased by a buddy of mine when I forwarded the link. Dammit. I threw the last one in for long-time blog supporter Michael (You're welcome!).

Vortex2 De-Mystified

Image
Courtesy of chaser/photographer extraordin aire Ryan McGinnis , from the entertaining/flaming Vortex2 thread on the Stormtrack Message Board. You can click on a link below to really learn about the project, but the issue at hand is the massive fleet of vehicles (over 40 total) that will be out on the Plains collecting research data with the goal of increasing warning times, and ultimately saving lives. In the process, they may be taking up a LOT roadside real estate over the next month or so that would normally be taken by enthusiast storm chasers. Selfishness and entitlement abounds. Ryan has a way of effectively getting his sarcastic point across. Well done, Sir. And ditto. Frequently Asked Questions For sci.geo.stormtrack.vortex2-thread Q1: What is Vortex 2? Vortex 2 is a two year science mission to study various supercellular parameters and how they relate to tornado genesis. You can find out more here . Q2: Well I think it's useless. It's not useless -- just do a bit of

Customers Who Viewed This Item Also Viewed...

Image
Click it. Thanks, Yosh. Customer Review By B. Govern "Bee-Dot-Govern" (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews This item has wolves on it which makes it intrinsically sweet and worth 5 stars by itself, but once I tried it on, that's when the magic happened. After checking to ensure that the shirt would properly cover my girth, I walked from my trailer to Wal-mart with the shirt on and was immediately approached by women. The women knew from the wolves on my shirt that I, like a wolf, am a mysterious loner who knows how to 'howl at the moon' from time to time (if you catch my drift!). The women that approached me wanted to know if I would be their boyfriend and/or give them money for something they called mehth. I told them no, because they didn't have enough teeth, and frankly a man with a wolf-shirt shouldn't settle for the first thing that comes to him. I arrived at Wal-mart, mounted my courtesy-scooter (walking is such a drag!) sitting side saddle so t

The Country-Style Ribs Experiment

Image
Country-style ribs are a meaty treat, and were a staple in our house growing up. My definition of barbecue was anything that had barbecue sauce on it. These were made in the crock pot, all day, by my mother. With a side of Velveeta Shells & Cheese, you had one of my all-time favorites growing up. But I've graduated now from BBQ School, and I know that a Crock Pot has no place in the BBQ vernacular. Here's my breakdown of how things went on my first try at smoking country-style ribs. Cut fron the sirloin, or rib end of a pork loin, country-style ribs are big and meaty. They could almost be confused to look like a sliced pork shoulder/butt roast. Since this was my first try at smoking this cut, I was a little nervous about just how long these would take, and if I'd dry them out. I was banking on at least 4 hours of cooking time at 225 degrees. After that, I was guessing. The fiasco of the day was preparing the dry rub. I had been sitting on some rub and spice packets fro

That Phone Guy

Good Eats

Image
The Cajun Meatloaf, with real mashed potatoes. All goodness. Hi-Way Diner, Lincoln 4.3.09