For The Love of Money

Deal or No Deal is great. I could do without all the corny stuff like the banker calls and Howie Mandel, but I'll live. If you haven't watched this show, find a tv at 8pm and tune to NBC. Basically there are 26 suitcases each filled with various amounts of money up to $1 million dollars (or more). You pick one, then begin to open a series of cases. If you don't open the big dollar ones, the banker offers to "buy" your case (as it may be the $1 million). You can either take the offer, or say "No deal" and press your luck.

It's a great study for the greediness of man and our inability to do some probability mathematics (or statistics) when high stake money is involved.

Tonight also was the premiere of the new Amazing Race season. Teams race across the world in hopes of winning a million dollars. The best part of this show is seeing all the exotic places you'll probably never visit and watching relationships of people you don't know either grow stronger or unravel at an alarming rate. The couples always seem to get along the worst. I wonder how many contestant breakups and divorces have occured. Maybe one day I'll get on the show, either with my wife or good friend. I think winning would be easy with either one of those at my side.

Best Steak Ever (No Grill Involved)

So, to me the biggest pain in the ass about living in an apartment is not being able to have a grill. I can live with the 1973 oven and the "two t-shirts and it's full" washing machine, but not having a grill is painful. I'm a man, damnit. I want to do manly things, things like cook raw meat over an open flame. I want to be covered in that sweet perfume of charcoal and dash of mesquite wood chips. However, I can not be a complete man living in an apartment.

So, I had to find an alternative path to the land of manhood. I wanted steak. I wanted a baked potatoe. I wanted a huge slab of medium rare meat to tear my teeth into and not pay $100 for it (or break the rules of the apt. complex). So, I decided to learn how to broil. My new favorite cooking show is Good Eats with Alton Brown. Now, I've watched him forever, but last week he jumped over my beloved Paula and became top dog.

Now, I've grown up believing that there is no other way to cook steak than on a grill. It's like calling pig cooked outside of eastern NC BBQ - it just ain't right. Desperate times call for desperate measures and Alton was there to help. During this one episode, he cooked a pan seared ribeye that instantly made me salivate. Not only did I drool with delight, but the whole process took less than 20 minutes from start to finish. Below is the recipe, adjusted to my findings.

Rib Eye, inch thick cut @ 1lb of lovely marbled meat
Kosher Salt
Ground Pepper
Canola Oil
Cast Iron or oven friendly pan (It's worth the $ to go buy a cast iron.)

Take the pan and throw it in the oven and turn it on to 500 degrees and turn a stovetop burner on high. While that's heating up, lightly cover the steak in canola oil and cover generously in kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. When the oven hits 500, take the pan out (carefully!), place it on the burner and drop the steak onto the pan away from you (don't get burned). DO NOT TOUCH THE STEAK FOR 40 SECONDS! after 40 seconds, flip and repeat - DO NOT TOUCH! After you have seared the second side, place the pan back into the oven for 2-3 minutes. Flip the steak and keep in the oven for 2-4 minutes (depending on your preference). Take the steak out of the oven, place a plate and cover with aluminum foil for 2-3 minutes. Take the foil off, grab a knife and fork, and begin to feast.

That's the recipe. It really does take less than 20 minutes and there is hardly any cleanup. If you want to make this a really manly meal, you can cook a baked potatoe before hand (large fork punctured potatoe covered in Olive oil and S&P in a 400 degree oven for 45-60 minutes). My buddy Evan has a similiar recipe you could use.

Anyway, I whipped up two of these steaks with a baked potatoe and green beans for the Mrs, and we were both in heaven. So, I've learned that you can still be a man and eat steak not grilled on an open flame. You still can't call pork covered in tomato sauce BBQ, That just ain't right.

Current List of People I Dislike Greatly

1. Mr. and/or Mrs. I refuse to go the speed limit.
2. Mr. and/or Mrs. I take the elevator to the second floor.
3. Mr. and/or Mrs. Cell Phone Customer Service Employee
4. Mr. and/or Mrs. IRS
5. Mr. and/or Mrs. I don't know how to park my car in a parking lot so I'll just take up 2 spaces AKA I think my GMC Yukon is a compact.

These are just a few of the people that have really ticked me off this week, the list is by no means exhausted.

Best Birthday Present Ever

"Make sure you go to the PO Box before you come home for lunch."

That was all I was told. Of course, when I get there, a package (not addressed to me) from my Mom is there. I got home and my wife, Ashley, took the package from me and said "Thanks." After several failed attempts at finding out what was in the box, I gave up. I knew it had something to do with my birthday, but I couldn't make the connection with my Mom.

So after my review (flying stars, naturally), I come home to find "some" dinner being made. I noticed green beans and that the oven was on, but nothing out of the ordinary. Ashley pulled me aside and tied a shirt around my eyes and brought me back in for a smell and taste test. First was the smell. Well, I'm not really good at smelling nor am I good at leaning into a hot oven blindfolded, so I was unable to detect a distinct aroma. I did comment that the smell was "greasy". The next was a taste test.

As soon as that creamy goodness hit my taste buds, my mind started racing. That sweet, sweet taste can only be one thing - Bojangles honey mustard! The blindfold was removed and the oven door was opened to reveal the best birthday present ever - Bojangles chicken supreme strips! The meal was rounded off with some mashed potatoes. Check out the picture for instant drooling. There were 13 strips total, and I think I had 8. Very, very yummy. I got the story on the whole operation. Basically Ashley and my Mom split the HUGE shipping costs to fedex the chicken to here next day. The chicken was kept cold by a nice little insulated lunch bag and a few ice packs. I was told the chicken was still cold. It's been 6 hours since dinner and I haven't been sick so I'll take her word for it. Afterwords we made a dessert we saw on FoodTV - Chocolate Hazelnut Ravioli. Basically it's fried wontons stuffed with Nutella. If you haven't had Nutella before, get your ass to a World Market or CostCo fast. This stuff can be spread on anything! If you don't believe me, ask my chocoholic friend Evan.

So, a great birthday present for the big 3-0. I'm thinking of a cool post for the special event, I just need to hash out a few details. Anyway, I'm off to dream about the best birthday present ever (besides season tickets to the Cubs)!

Powerbook Ebay Scam

I was surfing through BlogExplosion today, and for once I was actually reading them. I came across a blogger who posted this story, and I felt it was too good not to include here.

The storyline is this - Guy puts computer on EBay, guy is contacted by scammer in UK, guy realizes the scam and in turn scams the scammer. You have to read the Powerbook EBay scam, it definitely made me chuckle.

My Friend, The Loser

Yes, My friend Evan is a loser.

And in case you weren't sure, here is a picture -

Pink Panther The Movie Review

Went and saw Pink Panther tonight, after I grubbed down on some hardcore happy hour treats at McCormicks. Ashley and I went to the new movie theatre in Lincoln Square (the spot where Google just bought offices). It was pretty expensive, $9.50 a ticket, but I will say it was a nice theatre. Stadium seating, and the seats were covered in leather. Large drink and popcorn came out to another $10 but in all not too expensive considering we had dinner and drinks for $20 (including tip). Anyway, onto the review.

The movie is pretty good if you are looking for a laugh. I don't see it coming up for an Oscar, but the slapstick comedy was Class A. Watching the movie, I couldn't think of a better actor to portray Inspector Jacques Clouseau, besides the great Peter Sellers. This film is supposed to be a prequel to the famous series, however after seeing it it seems more like a "Million Little Pieces" prequel considering how it seems more like a remake, but not really a remake. It offers just enough new content and plot to be out of the remake category.

Anyway, the premise is simple - the famous Pink Panther Diamond is missing and someone gets killed and it is up to the dumbass French police to solve the case. Chief Inspector, played by Kevin Kline, enlists Clouseau as a decoy in order to take the heat of the press so that the chief may locate the diamond and the murderer. That's the basic plot. If you haven't ever seen the Pink Panther movies, I suggest you watch the originals first. Actually, on second thought you should watch the new one first, and then you can watch the originals so you can truly appreciate Peter Sellers.

The dialogue was okay, not that I was expecting much. Steve Martin does a great job at creating a french english accent (Kevin Kline needs some work though). Jean Reno does a great job as Gendarme Gilbert Ponton, the inspector assigned with keeping tabs on Clouseau. Beyonce could have been substituted for anyone. I think it was clear that the casting director was looking for someone to fill seats rather than provide substance to the film. I liked her in Austin Powers Goldmember, but she really hasn't proved to me she's an actress. Noboby else really jumps out at me, except that the chick playing Nicole was kinda cute.

In all the movie was good for its purpose, and that is a film to let you forget about tax season, bills, the crappy Survivor season, and let you laugh. I'll give it a 2.5 out of 5 only because it's a comedy and isn't necessary to be on the big screen to enjoy. If you have another movie you want to see in the theater, check it out and remember to rent this one later.

My Plea for Chic-Fil-A

So, living out here in Leftopia I have come to the realization that they don't know good food if it shot out their colon. So, I began making pleas to my favorite places back home to either open up shop or send me some food. The first one I sent was to Bojangles, but I doubt they'll get across the Missippi River let alone the Rocky Mountains. My second choice was Chic-Fil-A. Below is the comment I sent to them on their site:

I would like to know if there are plans to open up a Chic-Fil-A in my area anytime soon. I recently moved to Washington from North Carolina and was, quite frankly, devistated to find out there isn't a Chic-Fil-A in my area. I would LOVE to find out when and if one will be moved out here. I look around the area and the dining establishments are so limited. I haven't had McDonald's in 7 years and I don't plan on it but if I don't find a way to get a chic biscuit and some waffle fries I might be forced too! Please find a way to bring the yummy goodness that is Chic-Fil-A to the Seattle/Redmond area!


Maybe my email will be the lucky one that is read by the COO or something and they decide to not only open one up nearby, but to give me the all-you-can-eat lifetime gold card.

Ah, who am I kidding. It's worth a shot though.

One Thing I'm Glad About

JJ Redick just played his last game @ Chapel Hill. Hopefully he only has one more against UNC in his college career.

Super Bowl Bird's Eye View

Microsoft's local.live.com has a sweet featured called "Bird's Eye." Basically just some really high definition aerial photographs. Anyway, you can see Ford Field and neigboring Comerica Park from the link provided.

It's a pretty sweet mapping system. If you get a hold of some celebrity addresses it's cool to check out their houses. Malibu people suck! This is apparently Tom Hank's crib. Boy that must really suck!

New Blog Adventure

So, I've decided to create some kind of blog with a purpose. Hell, who am I kidding, I was just bored last night so I came up with a Survivor Blog. I have 100% faith in me that it will die before the tribes merge into one, but who cares.