Dining Out With The Joneses

Top Chef and Indiana Jones reviewed at Media Del Arte.

Beware The Blog!

I'll be putting my radio/tv/movie posts here "Media Del Arte"

Bad Sports

When it comes to sports radio, I mostly listen to ESPN radio and WGR550 out of Buffalo. ESPN has a mix of personalities on the air who seem to mostly favor the big three of MLB, NFL and NBA. WGR's hosts focus mostly on Sabres hockey and Buffalo Bills football. The emphasis at ESPN seems to be on the personality and the power of any given host to offer his/her opinion on what's going on in the sporting world and occassionally talk about pop culture. In Colin Cowherd's case, we find a host who makes a lot of analogies between sports and what a "normal" person might experience. He repeats a lot of his points within minutes of offering them (supposedly in case a new listener tunes in) and makes sure everyone knows he's a guy's guy. Whatever that means. Basically he treats his audience like two year olds. He does have one thing going for him over Jim Rome (the closest sports radio guy to him in terms of personality) and that is a lack of dead air. I applaud you for that Colin. Jim, do more thinking before the show, write it down and then perform. Just a tip.

The guys at WGR are mostly easy on the ears. They are informed fans, passionate about their local teams and do not toe the line when it comes to respecting a franchise or league. They truly air it out when broadcasting. I love them for it. Which brings me to this...

What the hell is going on with coverage of Spygate? This scandal centers around the New England Patriots videotaping opposing teams' defensive signals. Allegations came out at the beginning of the season with a former Patriot employee singing to the media. I'm not entirely sure of the timeline of who said what, but this drama popped up its head throughout the season, but had little effect on the Patriots. The folks at ESPN seemed to want to quash the story there and then, with various personalities saying, essentially, "If the tapes mattered so much, why are the Patriots dominating their games?".

As most of you know, the Pats almost went undefeated and had a stellar season. The Pats were fined and lost a first round draft pick. Walsh, the former Pats employee, spoke with the head of the NFL. Arlen Spector (sp?) demanded answers from the NFL. What bugs the guys at WGR (and me, the more I think about it), is that the Pats taped other teams from 2000 to the fall of 2007. Seems to me that 3 super bowl wins and several winning seasons might have benefited from having those tapes. My beloved Bills haven't had the greatest teams since I've moved to their region. However, I gotta believe that the Pats cheating ways may have had a little to do with the Bills losing to them 14 out of the last 15 matchups. But ESPN hosts don't seem to want to talk about this. Like the worst politicians and tv talk show hosts, they'd rather attack the whistleblower and Senator than the issue. One of my favorite ESPN guys, Tony Kornheiser intimated that both should sit down and shut up.

I'm not sure if the U.S. Government should get involved here, but I sure wish the NFL would do more. My gut feeling? More teams have been doing this and the Pats have taken the fall for the league. If that isn't the case, I think there is more to this story.

"I Like Pie."

Last night's season finale of "The Office" was pretty damn good in my humble opinion. All of the characters seemed to be back in their comfort zones and the extension to an hour didn't feel like it. I won't spoil for those who haven't watched yet, but Kevin's relatively small subplot practically had me on the floor. I'm glad the producers didn't try to tie up all of the loose ends, despite the writer's strike. Some of the plots this year felt forced, but this season-ender didn't.

The Producers

Watching "Top Chef"'s judges table last night, I had the feeling the producers of the show were bending rules to get a rivalry going between two of the contestants. For the sake of those who haven't seen it yet, we'll call these people Chef A, Chef B, and Chef C. All three were on the chopping block of last night's challenge for food that wasn't up to snuff. Chef B, however, completely missed one required ingredient. In season one, the third finalist was eliminated simply for omitting a required ingredient, despite the quality of his dish. The producers set their own standards then and there.

On last night's show, the judges mentioned B's omission while dining, but failed to bring it up at the judge's table. A red flag went up in my mind. Chef C, instead, brought it up at the table. B called C out because of the help he/she(B) he gave to him/her(C) earlier in the competition. Seemed to me that the producers wanted B's omission to not be considered. This way, A would be cut and B and C would be left to create some drama. Of course, I can't prove any of this, but it seemed fishy to me.

IPod-adise Found

I returned home tonight with the kiddoes in tow, tried the numerology thing again and hit the garage for one more look-around. I first checked our newspaper bin, in case it had fallen in. Then I checked in some darker corners of the garage. Still nothing. I decided to come back in. On the garage stairs landing were my old running shoes which I wear for yard work. I checked inside each. Nothing. I then retraced my steps in putting the shoes on. I hadn't sat on the steps to do it the last time. No, I'd sat in the back of the minivan because I had unloaded our new mower from it moments before. I opened the back hatch and there it was on the floor of the vehicle. Bingo.

Oh Yenta, My Yenta...

I've updated my relatively new blog, The People I Know. Didn't know about it before? Now you do. Keep reading and you just might be the subject of a post...

Little Lost IPod

So, I can't find the IPod. I hadn't used it for most of the last week. However, I was considering using it while doing some yard work. I never did though. Last I recall, it was on a table near the door leading to the garage.

So far I've prayed to Saints Anthony and Jude. Then I tried numerology. Basically I thought of the IPod while randomly typing numbers into a database. The first results stated that the object was near water or where we keep our alcohol. I checked. Nothing in the kitchen. The next try came up with the object being where we kept our Christmas decorations. They're up in the attic and I had put some coats up there before doing the yard work. I checked. Nothing doing. Finally, the last try yielded a suggestion of a dirty place. I checked the garage. Nope.

Still looking...

Squeezing The Tube...

The DVR is loading up with a lot of TV programs. PGirl and I have been catching up after the kids are asleep, but we have a ways to go....

Top Chef is in fine form this season. Clever challenges, less character-driven drama and an emphasis on the food! Finally. Food is what it is all about. Two of the chefs are lesbian partners...and I don't care. One of the chefs is a spastic white homeslice...and I don't care. Another chef has a faux-hawk hairstyle similar to one of the lesbians...and I don't care. Food, food, food.

Dexter finished it's run on CBS. I'm looking forward to catching season 2 on DVD. Funny and creepy. I don't care how watered down it came from being unrated on Showtime. Character and story are what counts for me.

Little People Big World rocks my world. Patriarch Matt Roloff still drives me nuts with his half-assed (no pun) planning of his family's lives and Matriarch Amy continues to live in the fantasy world of stereotyping boys, girls and store gawkers. Despite character flaws, they love each other and their kids. Fascinating stuff.

Battlestar Galactica is piling up on me. I have to make some frakkin' time late at night to catch up.

Jesus Saves....And Collects The Whole Set

PGirl Jr. was helping me bring the dog in this morning from the back porch when GalootJr. came to us. He was carrying one of those 50 States Quarters commemorative coin collecting books. Basically a big, flat children's book sized mini-tome. He was holding it above his head singing, "Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus.". PGirlJr. grabbed the book away from him and began to sing, "Money. Money. Money. Money." Their social commentary astounds me at times.

Kids In The Hall....Again

PGirl arranged the tickets for a Kids In The Hall tour stop in Cleveland on May 31. I'm really jazzed. I've heard that all of the sketches will be new ones. One of the old ones I'd love to see is this little beauty...



If I turn out like this guy, I hope my kids let me live in their homes.

Disney Meets The Kettle

So...Miley Cyrus and Disney aren't so crazy about a photo shoot she did with Vanity Fair magazine. From Disney, "Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines,"



That is unfortunate.



Most unfortunate.

KY - No jelly.

The Galoots have returned from a 5 day trip to my old Kentucky home. Niece, M.I.A. was Christened on Saturday morning. Welcome to the church kiddo. The vacation was very relaxing - even the drive down and back. A few observations:

• Things change. Two routes I revisited from my youth are heavily developed. Lots of subdivisions and the such.
• No matter how built-up it has become, I always like driving through Cincinnati.
• Skyline Chili makes for a tasty meal.
• Yuengling beer travels well.
• I miss living near some larger retails stores. While away I visited both Borders and Barnes & Noble.
• Chuck E. Cheese abandoned the audience that built it. Kind of like MTV. What's next? Nickelodeon? Am I being childish?
• People who hold cell phones to their ears while driving really need to get fined. Heavily. I had two of these drivers tailgate me and another cut me off in a span of a couple of hours.
  
• My kids are growing up fast.
• Babies are damned cute (inluding M.I.A. and high school friend Bryan With A "Y"'s daughter, Isabella.
• Accountants rawk! Thanks for drinks and apps Debbie!
• Finally, my folks are very hospitable. Big ups to the Colonel and Liz!
  

Train In Vain

After a fun-filled morning of forgetting my train ticket, playing “Catch Me If You Can” with PGirl and an unremarkable visit to the Buffalo Exchange Street Amtrak station, I am finally on my way to Albany for a conference with my peers and some teaching artists. For those of you not in the know, my position – in some circles – is a Generalist. An outsider might break this down to being a gallery curator, education director, editor and services liason. I’ll tell you straight up that I do a lot of shit and get paid dirt. But I do love this job…

I decided to take the train after realizing that mileage reimbursement would cost more than paying a business class fare on the Empire line. The Organ Grinder and Saint Eileen took the same train to Long Island last summer (Mom recommended the Angus burger, which I have yet to try.) I’m in the last compartment behind the food car and so far, it ain’t too bad. This is better than the Greyhound (fewer stops, scabs, coughs and smells) and coach class on an airline (people reclining their seat into my knees – that’s my space too asshole!).

As of 6:15pm, I have:

• Purge unnecessary emails from my computer.
• Set up more email to send later. I pray that the hotel as actual, free internet service as promised.
• Edited half of a list-serve email.
• Almost completed a New York Times crossword puzzle.
• Scored some free business-class water and juice after a coach-classer was turned away from the food car for trying to make a purchase in stocking-feet.
• Listened to “On The Media”, “Only A Game”, “The Bryant Park Project”, “The Thundering Herd” and some tunes on the IPod.
• Talked to Saint Eileen (heading back from Cincy with The Organ Grinder), PGirl, The Viking Slacker and a board member
• Played some games on the IPod and my phone.
• Watched over the shoulder of another business-classer as he watched an eclectic mix of video on his ITunes including, “Nanny and the Professor”, Fleischer’s “Popeye”, an old sketch show with John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Marty Feldman (the title escapes me) and “The Whitest Kids U Know”.

All in all, I can’t complain.

Another Day. Another Blog.

I'm going to try and add to this new, past-perusing blog whenever I can't think of anything clever to write here.

Without further ado, I present....

People I Know

Thursday, Thursday

An old fallback:

Thirteen Things I Did Or Were Done To Me Today

1. Saw a puppet show that was partially funded by a grant I administer.
2. Showed my puppet street cred by dropping some puppet-speak (Paul Zaloom, "The Lion King") with the puppeteers. (I did the puppet thing about ten years ago. A live show, a street show and a public access show).
3. Walked the kids home from school.
4. Synced the IPod with some public radio programs. "All Songs Considered" is the bomb. I'm an effin' NPR geek.
   
5. Was informed that my office's emails have been blacklisted by alltel, verizon, comcast and roadrunner subscribers.
6. Attempted to fix things by putting on my "internet technology" hat.
7. Cooked some burgers that PGirl picked up from a swanky little grocery.
8. Microwaved zucchini, grated cheese, sour cream, flour and water as a side.
9. Almost sent my dog over the edge by putting a piece of hamburger inside of a chew toy.
10. Checked up on my Yahoo, fantasy baseball team, "Spitzer's 9".
11. Geeked out on a Stephen Malkmus and the Jick's concert on the IPod.
12. Red a cnn.com piece about The New Kids On The Block reunion.
13. Drooled over new CD releases that showed up at my office's radio station. Including R.E.M. and The Black Keys.
    

The Madness: Part 1.2

The kiddoes have their own ways of dealing with the madness.

The Madness: Part 1

The most memorable opening days of March Madness occurred about 14 years ago. Due to an accident I had, falling into my apartment's stair well (long story), I was laid up for a long weekend with contusions. On the first day of the injury, I was to remain awake in order to ward off any possible concussion after-effects. Luckily, this fell on the opening of the national championship tournament. To date, this was the only time I've ever seen all of the televised games of the opening round.

You know you're a tournament junkie when the manager of your favorite watering hole has your father-in-law call you 30 minutes before tip-off to ensure you've gotten your bracket in.

My Wine Cellar Bracket:


















I'm also 12 for 16 for Thursday's games in the bracket above. For clarification, my wins are highlighted, my losses are stricken through with the actual winners circled. The strike-throughs in the sweet 16 and beyond are last minute changes I made before submitting the bracket. I'm two games better in my Yahoo Bracket.

March Madness

I'll be submitting one of my brackets at the Wine Cellar and a second bracket on Yahoo. There is no "Sheet of Integrity" as both have different outcomes. I figure I can double my chances. What the heck.

On a related note, Christian Laettner just admitted on the Dan Patrick Show that he'd likely pee in a bottle, instead of stopping at a gas station if he had to drive through the state of Kentucky. He was joking, of course, but there are still probably folks around who wouldn't help him if his car broke down. I'll admit that his shot capped off the greatest game in NCAA tournament history. Still, he acted like a punk-ass-bitch when he stomped on the chest of one of Kentucky's players in that game.

Since the "shot heard 'round the world" is played ad-nauseum at this time of the year, I'll leave you with a reenactment:



Here's a bit of video from the game. A moment I'd forgotten about. Watch the fine acting by Duke's player in this tangle:

Patty's Pot On All Y'all

The Galoots have survived yet another jam-packed weekend. I don't think we've ever been this active between January and April since moving to Western New York. A recap:

Friday saw the kiddoes and I heading up to PGirl's place of work. The three of them went to a youth series show called "The Gizmo Guys" while I joined The Unexpected Guests for Improvathon 2008 - basically 5 improv troupes performing a set each then joining for a "mixer" at the end of the night. Milton F. Hunter zinged a few audience members in "Good, Bad, Worse Advice" while Mr. Social poignantly became a punching/kicking bag, playing our disgraced governor in "Naive Replay". Jane brought the house down with a revelation of two sets of mommy parts in the final lyrics of "Way Off Broadway". A good time was had by all.

Saturday was mostly spent preparing for our St. Patrick's Day get-together, with some detours to swim class and ballet class. Galoot Jr. is taking to the pool like a fish out of H20. It was parent observation day at the ballet and PGirlJr. has some serious dancing chops. I couldn't be prouder. The St. Patrick's Day feast was bigger than we'd originally thought. Almost 30 folks showed up between 5:30 and 11:30pm. We went through:

• 11 pounds of corned beef brisket
• 2 shepherd's pie casseroles
• 1 pot of Guiness stew

Much Guinness was consumed as well as several "Dirty Girl Scouts", which are mixed drinks, not filthy female troop members. Only one dart game was played in the back room, but we made it more fun by keeping score on PGirlJr.'s pink Magnadoodle.

Sunday was catch up day. We slowly cleaned around the house after a Sunday school presentation of the stations of the cross. PGirl can write more about that production. Selection Sunday saw few surprises. Looks like Kentucky will play a 3 seed on Thursday. Also, I've begun watching reruns of Showtime's "Dexter" on CBS. Funny, funky, scary show. I know some people are miffed that some of the gore and language have been cut or dubbed for network TV, but I'd imagine those same folks would admit it is character and story that bring them back. I'm just saying...