Workin hard for the money

Saturday and I'm at work again, hopefully for just a few hours. Jury duty two weeks ago and the holiday on Monday (yay for Presidents) have me a little behind. Plus it is so much easier to get work done when there is no string of emails and phone calls interrrupting. I find that I waste a lot of time on a daily basis because I have tasks that will take a solid 90-120 mins of work, and getting interrupted (or even just distracted) every 10 minutes doesn't help. And I'm reluctant to jump into something big when I've just got 30 mins between meetings, so I end up checking personal email and such as that never takes more than a few minutes.



Movies:

I Know Who Killed Me - did I write this up already? Lindsay Lohan... Poor Lindsay, so pretty, yet such a terrible movie (don't want to critique her entire body of work based on one crappy movie). Just a hard concept to take... Girl has finger/hand/leg fall off, and she non-chalantly states "Hospitals are for rich people," like she's eating at McDonalds instead of at Ruth's Chris. Comedic sex scene between one legged/one armed Lindsay and her male boytoy. She does have a nice bod... I really wanted to like this one. Two and a half stars.



Master and Commander - a little older, but I never got around to watching this one. Pretty good period piece, shocking that they could get by these days with a movie with no women in it (ok, there were a few female natives possibly shopping services, but that was about 30 seconds out of 140 minutes). Not sure I buy the "take the wheels off the cannon so we can fire at the mast" theory, but it was fairly engaging. And the Galapogis Islands are always fun. Three and a half stars.



Taking Lives - stinker of a crime drama; I never really liked Angelina Jolie, and even flashing her boobies in a bloody sex scene with Ethan Hawke (what have you done for me lately?) wasn't enough to save this one. Is she a "profiler"? Why does she lay down in the grave at the beginning? And what cop is going to co-sign on a foreign FBI agent breaking and entering? Stinkeroo. Two stars, mostly for the nudity.



Logan's Run - a friend of mine recommended this to me (jokingly, I think) when I turned 30, finally got around to checking it out. The 30 year old special effects remind me of Star Trek from the 60s... I think they even reused some of the same sound stages. Amusing to see Farrah Fawcett "Majors" get a high billing for about 2 minutes of screen time. But I guess it sold tickets... interesting concept (makes me want to see I Am Legend now), I've always had a soft spot for futuristic apocalypic survivalist stories (Red Dawn, anyone?). Fun with Michael York and the female companion... loved the dialogue when the get to the ice cave, soaked: "Here, we can put on these to keep warm". "We should take our clothes off first so they don't freeze to us". Not quite gratuitous boob shot (how do they sneak that in and get a PG rating? Or was that the special in Special Edition?). Four campy stars.

Stairway to Heaven

Got a little exercise this morning running stairs. Damn I feel old. And broken. A shadow of what I once was. Yet with age brings wisdom, and now I know not to eat broccoli AND easy mac (tm) the night before a race. Sometimes one dump is not enough.

Finished Black Snake Moan this morning. Surprisingly (I always forget the second r in that) it had a happy ending. Not quite literally, though you might have expected one from the description. One of Samuel Jackson's better roles in my opinion; his singing is admirable even though he probably wouldn't make it to the second round of American Idol. Three and a half stars. Amusing use of Justin Timberlake - I gain a little more respect for him with each role, as he tries hard and tries to play against type.

Movie Update

The Devil Wears Prada - 3 stars, decent flick, nothing real special. It's hard to believe that anyone could be as callous as Meryl Streep's character. As a non-fashion forward male, I liked that they made a point about the industry being about more than just matching belts and feather boas, but didn't oversell the issue. What they do is important in their own way and can have an impact, but isn't the end of the world. And that they didn't overplay the gay aspect - I expect there are many flamboyant personalities in the fashion industry, but not all are flaming and/or over the top. I went through a not-so similar work-life situation at my previous job (not on call 24/7, but expected to work 12 hr days and some on weekends); I chose the personal life and took a 30% paycut and have been much happier for it.

Previously: The Simpsons Movie - 3 stars (you'll spot a trend here soon) - Glad I didn't shell out $9 to see this first run. Amusing, as I hadn't watched the show in a few years, but really just a long episode, nothing groundbreaking or series altering (or maybe there was and I wouldn't even know it). Homer's antics (and Marge dealing with them) get a little difficult to swallow when stretched out and put under a larger plot driven microscope. But any cartoon requires some degree of suspension of disbelief.

1/29 - Live Free or Die Hard - 3 stars - But any cartoon requires some degree of suspension of disbelief. Some impressive action sequences, but also some obvious CGI transitions/blends. A few quiet nods to the original (didn't see the third one) were nice touches, but I found myself bored halfway through. A little too long and a little too over the top (car takes out helicopter? hacker genius modifies smart phone to connect to sat-com in 4 seconds? Willis surfs the tailfin of a fighter jet? I want to see the Mythbusters episode on this one).

Fighting yet another sinus infection. Or less fighting and more taking shots to the head while trying to dodge. Max Vitamin C, Sudafed, Advil, none are working too well. Tomorrow night need to try zyrtec (now available from your pharmacist without a prescription!). Spent the last two hours of work scrolling through names of people who opted out of mailings from my company, trying to find the ones with valid addresses. Would have been amusing if it wasn't so tedious. A live phone agent takes most of the calls, some cities have amusing spellings. I'm amazed that someone thought there was an "Nympis, TN". Not sure if that ought to be blamed on the Suthen accent though. "Itlanta" Might be a typo, but the A and I are nowhere near each other...

Long time...

And sadly not much new music. New Everclear in the past 18 months, Modest Mouse, Fall Out Boy. Must be getting old.

I spend more time on Netflix, will eventually go back and recap previous rentals. This week: Lucky Number Slevin (3 stars meaning pretty average, no problems, no excitement). It was the only role I've seen Lucy Liu in that didn't make me want to tear my eyes out (mostly because, ironically, she played a ditz). The Bruce Willis cold stare, rhetorical dialog is getting a little old; I think he's better (now) as a supporting cast member, not as a scene leader. Interesting story but not all that revolutionary.

Also the Bourne Ultimatum (4 stars, solid). Pretty much the Wolverine story without the claws. Pretty good overall. Julia Stiles looked her best here also (coincidence? I miss my girlfriend...)

Music Update

A few new CDs a while ago...

The Killers - Hot Fuss - Love songs 2-4 (Mr Brightside, Smile Like You Mean It, Somebody Told Me), not surprisingly, the ones that are/were in high rotation on the radio. Rest of the CD is good, but I find myself just skipping back to those three

Death Cab for Cutie - Plans - their last CD (my first of theirs, Transatlanticism) really grew on me; this one has not grown as fast. Nice mellow stuff, not enough to hook me into putting it back into the CD changer after it gets kicked out

Kaiser Chiefs - Employment - this is a fun CD, but honestly it didn't catch my attention. Listened to it on the plane on the mp3 player and liked it, but too much better new stuff when I bought it - will have to give it a second chance.

Have gone about a month now with no new discs - which is nice to have the time to revisit the bunch I bought over the summer (and get in touch with a few old friends - I like having Garbage in the CD player).

Skipped Interpol and OLP last week (still fighting a cough, and no one else interested). Nothing else coming up, sad DCFC is skipping the Cleve (will probably have to get used to it - but I'm NOT driving to Ann Arbor [is a whore] to see them. Or anyone).

Recipe - Pizza Sauce

This changes depending on what cans are available at the store (tomato puree is often hard to find in the 15 oz size)

1-2 lbs ground beef
Oregano
Basil
Garlic and Onion Powder
Bay leaves
2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
1 8 oz can tomato paste
2 15 oz cans petite diced tomatoes (or diced italian style)
1 15 oz can tomato puree (optional; can substitute extra can of tomato sauce)
Chianti or other italian wine
Parmesian or Romano cheese
Baking soda (optional - cuts heartburn)

In massive saucepan, brown and drain ground beef; season with salt, pepper, oregano, basil, onion,garlic while cooking (optional - add 1/2 white onion and/or minced garlic while cooking)
In same pan, add all of the canned ingredients; set to low heat. Use 4-8 oz wine to clean cans, pouring remaining contents into saucepan (pour from one can to another, 4-8 oz TOTAL; water can be used as a poor substitute).
Add spices to taste; add one large or two small bay leaves (these must be removed prior to serving)
Add 1/4 cup grated cheese
Add 1/4 tsp baking soda (will cause sauce to foam and turn slightly orange - more can be added to cut heartburn, but will make sauce VERY sweet)
Simmer for 30 mins to 2 hrs, stirring and tasting occassionally.

Serve with remaining wine and your favorite Barilla pasta (recommended - thin spaghetti with thinner sauces, rotini or shells with meatier sauces).

Option B - Meatballs

Make sauce without beef

2 lbs ground beef, or beef-pork-veal mixture
1 cup breadcrumbs
Basil, Oregano
Parmesian or Romano cheese
2-3 eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Wash hands
Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper if desired
Mix thouroughly with your hands (it's cold)
roll a small amount of mixture between your palms into a ball (I like quarter sized balls or smaller, but that takes longer. any bigger than a baseball, and it will take a LONG time to cook)
place on baking sheet (with grating/drip tray if you have them)
repeat til mixture is gone
Bake about 30 minutes, or until middle of larger meatballs are no longer pink.
(optional - scrape the grease off the bottom of the tray)
(optional - place cooked meatballs in pan of sauce)

Recipe - Quick Chicken Pizza

1 12in Boboli Pizza Crust (wheat if you like, but not thin)
1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes (I like the store brand cause they don't put too much additional crap in there)
1 medium green bell pepper
1 small red onion
1-2 grilled chicken breasts (could be exchanged with diced ham or even ground beef if you're not so healthy)
8 oz provolone cheese
4-8 oz mozzarella (or some combo of the two)
Balsamic vinegar or BBQ sauce (optional)

Grill the chicken beforehand and dice into small cubes - I like a little salt, pepper, garlic and/or onion powder, and either oregano and basil or light curry on the chicken to give it a little flavor. Italian dressing as a marinade/baste is good also.
Heat oven as directed on the pizza crust.
Dice pepper and onion - you may want to start with 1/2 of each and see how much topping that gives you.
Drain tomatoes as best possible; spread on pizza crust.
If desired, sprinkle vinegar or bbq sauce over tomatoes for a little extra flavor.
Spread peppers, onions, and chicken on crust
Place in oven for 6-7 minutes
Remove from oven; cover with cheese and return for 4-5 minutes.
Switch oven to broil; leave pizza in til cheese is golden brown
Remove, and let stand for 4-5 minutes before cutting.

Bahama Breeze

My new goal (one of many, ever changing, ever forgotten goals) is to keep track of the places I've eaten/drank/hung out in town, to both give an idea of the different places in Cleveland, and to serve as a reminder to find other places. No duplicate items from the menu! (If there's nothing new left, time to find a new place).

Today we rallied to go to Bahama Breeze on the east side, at Chagrin and I-271. There was a special promotion today - a number of restaurants nationally were donating a portion of sales and/or profits to hurricane relief (www.dineforamerica.org). The choice of places in the area was pretty much BB, Outback, or Olive Garden. As we try to do a "happy hour" type place (more bar than grill), BB seemed like the place to go. Plus, Tomsic's brother works there, so always happy to pour more funds back into "the family".

No beer specials - had a 20 oz "Aruba Red" - like Killians with a little less clean finish (I prefer the bite at the end) for $2.75.
Bob ordered Coconut Shrimp as an appetizer, but they brought the wrong ones (fire roasted jerk shrimp) so we wound up with the wrong ones for free (yes there is such thing as a free lunch). Not bad, the bread in the butter sauce was the best part.

For dinner I ordered the Oak Grilled Center Cut Pork Chops (I don't intend to be this detailed usually, but the website has a handy menu online) wish skin-on mashed potatoes and broccoli. There was a tangy dipping sauce which was good in small quantities (seemed like a dark tomato vinegrette, or something similar). Decent pork chop (I chose the "light" portion, so there was one chop instead of two), but nothing like the ones in the Bahamas (thin, more spice, and melt in your mouth). The broccoli was surprisingly good - or at least tasteless (which is good), so it wasn't entirely nutritionless.

I'd go for it again, but would probably try something else. It didn't stand out enough to make me crave it a second time, but a good pork chop is always a nice option at a restaurant.

We didn't stick around too long after eating; there was a decent crowd there (packed at the bar) when we showed up, but it had thinned out by the end of the evening. Being in a booth in a corner is not the best situation for mingling, but there were a few hotties that breezed by. Overall, a nice alternative to TGI Fridays/Applebees, but I prefer the hole in the wall places (and the beer specials).

Il Postino

Just finished watching 'Il Postino - (The Postman)', about 6 months after my parents got it for me for my birthday. I have a bad habit of being slow/lazy/indifferent to getting around to things. Not a bad pic, but started to drag halfway through, and had a sad ending (I don't know what they were talking about on the box about it being funny - a few chuckles... maybe it loses something in the translation).

Made my first non-salmon fish tonight (along with salmon - sale on wild sockeye, mmm) - the perch was actually better without the cedar plank - maybe because it was cooked a little more thoroughly.

In light of match.com's new policy that only paid subscribers can see photos (beyond the tiny profile pic), I'm leaving them in the dust and trolling for real live women... off to an inauspicious start, after I run into a hottie at the ATM machine this afternoon, but can't even manage a 'Hi.' Probaly better off that way, cause people tend to get nervous when they're taking out and depositing money. But opportunities like that don't come every day, if there is someone there they are usually getting around with a walker or an oxygen mask (no offense to the elderly, I'm just looking to date someone a little more in my age group). Kind of a bust of a weekend date wise anyway - went to visit a 'friend' - not sure if anything romantic would have occurred - but we cancelled before we got started. Probably for the best, but then I ended up doing nothing Friday and Saturday nights... I get a little depressed sometimes, deciding to focus on getting in shape and finding a job, and everything else will take care of itself. Riiiiiight....

See ya on the flip side.

Music Update

New this week:

Hot Action Cop - Hot Action Cop : Rap metal, but nothing like Limp Bizizkit. Picked it up cause there was a song in the movie "Grind" that I really liked (raise your hand if you've actually seen Grind). Mostly good, upbeat stuff, one review noted it was "good cruisin' music", I'd agree so far.

The Dandy Warhols - 13 Tales from Urban Bohemia : Soft alternative - haven't listened to the whole album yet. Recommended highly from a friend...

Weezer - Make Believe : Weezer. My first album, I've been surprised to find out they've done some of the songs I heard on the radio in the past.

Other artists in high rotation: Modest Mouse, Garbage, and as always, Everclear

san antone

spent the weekend at a friend's wedding in san antonio... could go on for hours about stuff related to the wedding, but most has been hashed out with people since returning. i had a moody-self pity moment, and had to kick myself in the ass to go have fun. ended up getting a little drunk and almost booting cause i ate too many onion rings at 3 am. whataburger can't touch taco bell for drunk food.

good time overall, curry lamb was awesome but no substitute for missing chicken tikka masala. good eating the whole weekend (probably had a better option at lunch saturday than chicken fried steak, but knew we were having mexican that night so not too many other options).

driving in texas is a pain in the ass if you don't know where you're going.

buying cigarettes in texas is a pain in the ass if one of your friends doesn't have an ID.