Vermont Service

So there are many reasons to live in Vermont, over the last 10 years I have come to realize service is not one of them.  Need an item at the store like a lamp?  Well, if it is not a box store the hours are most likely Tues.-Wed. 10AM to 1PM. When you try to actually ask about the item, the staff most likely will treat you like you are imposing on them.  For some reason, people with unexplained sources of income come to VT and open retail outlets or restaurants and then run them like they don't intend to make any money from them. Last night I ran into the perfect example.  These are the details and I swear I am not embellishing at all.

I went into Tina's Interiors on Church Street at 5:15PM.  Keep in mind it was a Tuesday and this is the week before Christmas.  I enter the store and a woman who can't be bothered to look up from her paper work asks if she can help me.  To be fair I knew what I wanted and told her maybe in a minute I was double checking on the rug I cam to buy.  I was a little brusque.  So I get my confirm at 5:21PM... it is on my phone and time stamped.  I walk to the counter and tell the woman I want to buy a rug.

Counter Woman: Are you parked out front?
Me: Why?
CW: Well, we are about to close.
Me: It is not even 5:30?
CW: Well, sometimes it takes awhile to get the rug out and into the car.

I stand there in silence for a minute thinking about how absurd this is.

Me: I don't mean to be a jerk but do you often tell a customer that asks to buy a rug no questions asked that you are about to close?

Thinking to myself I can't believe they do enough business to throw away an easy guaranteed sale for a few hundred bucks.  CW #1 continues to do paper work and barely acknowledge my question.

CW#2: Well, not usually but we are getting ready to close and it takes time to get the rug out.

I am shocked. They are trying to close early, in the middle of the week, and it is literally the top shopping week of the year.  Is this a drug front?  Did they sell 35 rugs earlier in the day and meet their quota?  Is this place owned by Bill Gates?

I tell them to hold the rug and storm out cursing under my breath and noticing several other stores closed the week before Christmas at 5:30PM.  No wonder there is so much turnover on Church Street, these stores are run by morons.  Except Outdoor Gear Exchange which was open, well staffed, and ready to take my money!!!

Political Rant

I just watched Boehner and Cantor announce their "Plan B" for the fiscal cliff.  They claim that the President has not been accomodative and does not want to work with them and until he meets them in the middle (or what they perceive as the middle) they will not budge and will move to Plan B where they keep tax cuts for everyone earning under $1MM.  Now I am all for keeping my taxes low but here is the issue I have w/ the House Republicans... first off, you have been complaining about how Obama will not cut spending so for Plan B you are not addressing spending in any way. That is Plan B?

Here is the big thing. You lost this last election.  You did not win the presidency, you did not win the senate.  You cannot win this Fiscal Cliff argument you can only be a pain in the ass.  Whether I agree w/ the winner or loser the fact is Obama won and now he is in the driver seat.  He does not have to run for re-election and can be as big a dick as he wants.  Folks may speak of his legacy but if this falls apart he will say it was because the House was protecting taxes for the rich and few in this country will fault him regardless of the ancillary issues that actually are in play.  It is all perception.

Secondly... let's take the President out of this.  For months, Republicans have been banging the spending drum.  The issue here is credibility.  For one, when the Republicans controlled the Congress and Presidency they increased the Federal budget by 104%. This included not only defense spending but increases in Social Security, Medicare, and thousands of subsidy programs (1816 according to the Mercatus Center).  You only care about cutting spending when you do not control the wallet.  This goes for the left as well.  The other thing about spending is that the reason the Right will not specify their proposed spending cuts is that they cannot agree on them.  Every member of Congress has their own base and their own spending needs.  Is it any wonder that no one can come to a compromise, they all want different things? I have not heard much from the Arizona or Florida Republicans on Social Security cuts?  Weird! 

This is a mess where no one is willing to actually compromise.  We as a country have elected a bunch of assholes.  We should go over the fiscal cliff.  Take the hit and move on.  Uncertainty has killed business for the last 4 years, not tax rates. If people know what business will cost they will spend their money that has been on the sidelines, they just need to know what their costs will be.

And lastly... f*ck you Grover Norquist.  You are a dick.  You came from a privileged background and take money for granted. Sure, you don't want your parents money taxed. Meanwhile... you are an old Nixon guy who's big hero Reagan raised taxes several times and directly led to the fiscal mess George H. walked into and was later politically lynched for. So you have backed Nixon, G.W., Reagan, Gingrich, and Jack Abramoff.  That is a real Murderer's Row.  Basically, you are the type of unyielding cranky old turd that keeps things from getting done.  The Federal Government needs revenues as well as responsible spending and neither Norquist nor Obama seem to realize that.  A balanced budget is difficult.

Hey, Guess What

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Get It?

Old Farts... ASSEMBLE!!!

I flipped in and out of the 12:12:12 concert last night and a few things stood out.  One, it was a party for old white men. Seriously.  They were up on the stage and filled MSG.  If you were a senior baby boomer banker/lawyer/doctor/accountant... this was your Woodstock!  Also this was a benefit for NYC that was dominated by British rock bands? Ok.  Adam Sandler sang a sort of funny song.  What my lady and I noticed is it looked like he has eaten David Spade and was hungover as all get out, at 7PM on a Wednesday.  He looked terrible in other words. So the Boss got like 3 songs.  Alecia Keyes who is big time New York got 2 or 3. Roger Waters brought out Eddie Vedder so they bumped him up to I think 4. The Stones got 2.  How many would you budget for The Who?  1, 2?  Well, they had an entire concert of like 13 songs!  Roger Daltry is totally shot, his voice is a mess.  Of course he made up for it by undoing hid shirt and busting out is over tanned, shaved old man chest complete with pacemaker scar.  Needless to say the 5 women in the audience went crazy!!  To be fair Pete Townsend sounded pretty good.  That is when I checked out for good. 

So we are getting closer to the fiscal cliff and Obama is taking things OFF the negotiating table?  Interesting tactic.  That guy just doesn't give a f%$&!  Meanwhile Georgia rep. Paul Broun went on CNBC and rambled like a fool culminating in him suggesting we totally disband the Department of Education, the EPA, and a few other federal departments.  Sure, that makes sense.  Let the states handle it.  Yeah, Georgia... you are definitely more qualified to run education.  We will blow by China once they realize the Earth is 3500 years old, there were no dinosaurs, 2+2=Q and the capital of Spain is Portugal. 

Looks like the Sox are close to signing Ryan Dempster.  I am furiously making sure my NESN subscription is up to date... no way I can miss those 8 insanely mediocre starts!

NSFW

Not sure f*cking what the Government is doing w/ this fiscal cliff stuff.  Really, you both just basically were told by the American people that you are on thin ice and are going to be even bigger d-bags in 2013?  Solid work my friends.

12-12-12... freaky. Not really, it had to happen.  Is there any chance that there really was no beginning of time or the universe and that it has just been going forever and that the concept of time is really just a construct of our mind?  Nope, I have not smoked pot today. No acid either.

I wanted the first Pope tweet to be a really dumb personal philosophy or a bikini shot on Instagram like other celebrity tweets. Speaking of a pope in a bikini... here is Lauren Pope.  I don't know who that is and I think my wife will not be impressed w/ this.

Am I happy about the no name Sox this season?  I am indifferent which is better than loathing them like last year.  Could be worse, we could have a steroid adjusted average age of 62 like the 2013 Yankees.  Apparently Don Mattingly was unwilling to switch to third so they had to pick up Youk.  I loved him w/ the Sox but his bat is slowing pretty bad.  Happens when you don't juice and play balls out all the time, your body wears down.  After the PED years we have forgotten how a normal human body reacts to physical stress (A-Rod I am looking at your chalk like hip joints).

That Bo Jackson 30 for 30 show on ESPN was pretty good.  They do a really nice job w/ those.  When I was a kid I read his autobiography that Dick Schapp helped w/.  It was not a good book but was interesting.  I also remember being so excited to see him play at Fenway.  He didn't do shit in the game (I think Jody Reed of all people hit a home run that day), but he crushed these unbelievable bombs during batting practice.  And when he played football?  It was ridiculous.  The guy was an alien. Was a great athlete and a shooting star. Like a rock star, better he blow up than to fade away.

Misery Loves J-Bird

I apologize to the 3 of you that may read this blog.  I have some shit going on these days that has been challenging to say the least.  It has made it difficult to get out and try new places from a food and wine perspective.  So a little whining out of the way... I did slip out w/ a co-worker today to check out the new Misery Loves Company stable space in the Noosk. Right away we were struck by the crowd.  the place was packed and the line stacked up to the door.  It is a very open clean space which is nice.  The food?  Off the chain yo.  I did not know what to order there were so many things I wanted.  I bailed on a doughnut which I regret after seeing someone eating next to me.  Instead we split pork buns and fries and I had a Korean Reuben.  The fries were crispy, and addictive. We did not even go w/ the meat scrap option.  The pork bun was my least favorite portion of the meal but it is all a matter of degrees.  No one can really replicate a China Town pork bun, just can't be done.  This one was a bun split in half and filled w/ pork like a slider.  The bun was a little dense and the pork a little dry.  It is like a whoopee pie, you can make them good but to truly hit transcendent version is a fleeting whisper. How about the Reuben.  Well if you don't like thick cut fatty corned beef w/ Kimchi, and a spicy mayo sauce on a delicious salted bun... well, we can't be friends.  It was decadent and delicious.  I felt a year of my life slip away w/ each bite but it was worth it. To be sure this is a treat that should be savored infrequently, even more so than BBQ but there is a reason a line forms to and out the door.  These guys are nailing it. The "misery" must be my now clogged arteries but they will soon have company from the veins. 1 9/10th thumbs up.

Congrats to the Pumas on their new edition.  Good people and I look forward to meeting the little guy, and maybe being the bad influence family friend!

Now, if you will excuse me I have to go pass out and struggle to breathe.

Jay About Stowe

So back to my review job.  My special lady and I took off right after Thanksgiving and shot down to Stowe for a relaxing post family weekend.  There was no snow in town and very little on the mountain so we got a favorable rate for a room at the newish Stowe Mountain Lodge.  It was really quite nice.  The service was friendly and attentive.  We were upgraded upon arrival to a nice big suite complete w/ a kitchenette.  The upgrade was to a room w/ a view of the entrance (and mountain) but stil... The bed was clean and very comfortable.  The bathroom was nice especially the nice large tub.  There was a little gas fireplace that was nice.  The place was busier than I had ever seen it.  Other than the rooms it was pricey.  A Heady Topper was $12.  Ouch!  We also had a couple massages at the spa and oh my!  My massage was pretty good and the hot tub/locker room/steam room areas were very nice.  My one complaint was the quiet room.  It was not quiet.  There were two New Yorkers screaming to each other about Facebook.  There was a kid running around w/ another couple.  2 other women came in and were yelling.  No reason to yell, it is a quiet room.  Also why was everyone on Facebook on their phone?  Weird right?  Anyway... overall the MTN Lodge was expensive but quite comfortable and we had a pleasant stay.

Friday night my lady had a hankering for fondue so we cruised over to the Stowehoff.  That place could be considered old school and charming... or a shit hole.  I prefer the prior, I kind of like the place. We had a good burger, well cooked, perfect size, on an English muffin.  A-bird had a very plain green salad and then a bowl of cheese (cheddar and Gruyere).  Hey, it was melted cheese it was good.  The best part was the couple from Mass. that sat down next to us and proceeded to talk to us non stop.  Anytime there was a break in the action... my buddy started up again. He has a 15 year old daughter, lives in Dracut, works nearby at a semiconductor plant, likes long walks on the beach.  It was something.  They were very friendly.  I liked the place and would give it 1 thumb up if you like divey atmosphere pretty good simple food.

Saturday we rocked brunch at the Green Goddess.  It was excellent.  I had an egg sandwich w/ spinach and mushrooms that was really good.  The bacon was well cooked and delicious.  Coffee was good.  It was reasonable priced and very tasty. 1 1/2 thumbs up.

Saturday night we went to what was the Shed, now called Crop.  It was good.  The service was also very attentive and friendly.  The new dining room atmosphere and space is much better than what the Shed had going.  The pub needs some work... and was empty.  Anywho, they started me w/ a delicious Manhattan and my wife w/ a good and not too sweet non-alcoholic cranberry drink in a martini glass.  Solid work bartender.  We started w/ a well cooked and salty pretzel, some ok not great brussel sprouts, and deviled eggs which were creamy and quite good, especially the 2 that had bacon!  My wife had a fresh and tasty green salad that never stopped.  I had a BBQ pulled chicken sandwich.  Chicken was well cooked but could have used more mop sauce.  The side salad was good, nice dressing, and Portuguese roll was a nice touch.  We finished up w/ cookies to go.  They came w/ ice cream but the waiter was very nice and substituted a coffee to go for me.  Solid man, and the cookies were awesome. 1 1/2 thumbs up.  I'd go again.

So there you have it, nice relaxing weekend.  Oh yeah, we also saw Skyfall.  It was very long.  I liked it, though not quite as much as Casino Royale.  Lady was getting a little bored.  Still, if you like action movies and have a few hours to kill, check it out.  And there you have it.

Jay About Mayor Miro

I was going to do a review of our recent trip down to Stowe for a relaxing post Turkey Day weekend but there is a local news story that is just too interesting to ignore. First off here is the link to the original story http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20121126/NEWS02/311260023/Skinny-Pancake-gets-livable-wage-exemption-airport-contract?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p

And here is a rebuttal of sorts... http://7d.blogs.com/offmessage/2012/11/battle-lines-drawn-in-skinny-pancake-livable-wage-controversy.html


Now to be fair, I know the Skinny Pancake guys and my issue is not necessarily with them.  When I first heard the news of their move into the airport I thought it was a remarkable coup.  There are no post security booze or food options in the BTV airport and for times when you get through security early (often) or are delayed (sometimes) or maybe are just arriving into town after a long trip and need a beer and crepe... this was huge.  I mean, I can't believe nobody at the airport ever green lit this idea before because it seems like a way to mint money.  It was interesting how a local company could outbid bigger competitors especially with their local produce driven model, but these guys are pretty savvy from what I can tell.

Well, if you believe the Free Press (which I usually do not) the playing field was not exactly level.  Hey, the livable wage is ridiculous and paying somebody $17.71/hr to serve coffee seems excessive and frankly not at all competitive in a global sense.  I appreciate the fact that sourcing local ingredients is more expensive and I think the argument that overall the good that this could do the community was well worth the exemption. 

Here is the problem... Mayor Miro Weinberger did not articulate that argument and frankly can't seem to avoid stepping in shit.  Maybe it seems sexy to act like a big time politician and always be grifting and doing business in shady ways but this community is too small for that crap.  First he tries to give his buddy the, new AG, a big raise.  Maybe the guy deserved it but given that they were friends, the way the story came out, and the fumbling response it was just a mess.  Well lesson learned.  Oh wait, the lesson was not learned?  The mayor did the exact same f*ing stupid thing again less than 1 yr later?!  You are friendly w/ a local businessman and then all of a sudden a related business seemingly gets very favorable treatment?  And on top of that the exemption you allow is to take away $$ from workers in a down economy when this is the most sensitive issue facing politicians across the country.  Are you an idiot?  I am very pro business and have been happy to hear you are trying to fire up what has become somewhat of a stagnant city in that respect.  I am a fan of the Adler's and think they are running a solid business.  Shit, I want a beer once I get through security!!!!  But, who is running PR for the mayor of Burlington?!  Fire that person... today!!! Between the daily coffee breaks and trips for lunch of whatever, the non-stop useless tweets, the wow I can't believe I get front row for Dalai Lama pics, and the political favoritism for friends... I half expect Marion Berry to be our next City Treasurer.

Pull it together.  Maybe pick your spots and think about the impact of decisions you make as they relate to the various thematic elements within the city/state/country.  In any instance where there might be a whiff of impropriety draft out a plan and a clear justification for the choices you have made that are clear, concise, and ready before (not after) you screw up. If you worked at a bank you would be in front of Congress and the SEC... and Bernie would be leading the charge. Seriously, could you imagine if a Republican pulled an exemption for livable wages here in Vermont?  You would have to be buying directly from only VT farmers and pay triple the wholesale food costs to justify that to Welch and Sanders.  Please let this city trust you and respect you.  Bob Kiss may have been a clown but I never saw him as a shyster which is the reputation you are gaining.

And another thing... why do they call it taking a dump when you are clearly leaving it?!?!?

**** here is a follow up letter from the Skinny Pancake.  Worth a read.  Again, my argument is not really with SP. http://skinnypancake.com/2012/11/28/the-truth-about-the-livable-wage-ordinance-exemption/

New emails from Patraeus!nope, all fictional**

General Patraeus: Hey hot stuff... I really want to (*^*&%&^%  ^*&^*&*%^ $^&#^%^& with you!
Paula Broadwell: Oh me too... let's ^*^*&(*% with a water canteen and then *%&^%$*^%$ ^%*%&^% ^%&$&!
GP: Oh yeah, the we can $*&$*$* on that tank while I ^%&^% &^*&^*)!
PB: I am getting so %*&^$&$&*($
Jill Kelley: Hey, I like parties... can I come?
PB:  F*** No!!!!  You ^%&*^%$&%$ ^%(&%&(^!!!!!
GP: Now, now... there is plenty of Dave Big D P to go around.
PB: Wait, David... are you sure this is ok?
GP: Sure, why?
PB: Well, you do work for the CIA right? Can't they find this stuff?
GP:  No way... I am using GMAIL silly, it's ANONYMOUS!  Plus I used a cell phone, hard to track those signals, no hard line you know.  Just to make sure, I wear a hat, sunglasses, and a trench coat when I am coming to meet you... and a fake mustache.  Jeez, good thing I know about the spy game!  Hey, you here any weird clicking just now?



Can't reveal my sources but pretty sure that is how it all went down **nope, all fictional**

So we watched Safe House last night on HBO.  It was described as a pulse pounding non stop action thriller.  Well, my pulse was just fine and the action stopped plenty of times.  You did have Denzel Washington doing Denzel Washington things.  Ryan Reynolds is a terrible action star.  He looks the part but is too goofy, he should stick to comedies.


Now, if you will excuse me... I need to put on my fake mustache, I have a hot date tonight!

Argo-F*** Yourself

Special lady and I got out to the movies this weekend.  Figuring James Bond would be a madhouse we went to another flick we had wanted to see, Argo.  It was pretty good.  Interesting story, good pace, solid soundtrack, fine acting.  I liked it.  Huge fan of Alan Arkin.  I realize I was only 5 or so when this thing went down in Iran but I don't remember any of the story about the 6 who escaped the embassy.  Most likely there was plenty of embellishment but this was pretty exciting. I also enjoyed how Ben Affleck got 70s shaggy hair and beard so he could pretend to be a most likely clean cut Hispanic dude. Also funny was that he smoke too much, drank too much, only ate take out... but had a ripped 6 pack.  He stole my secret!  If so are looking for a movie to check out, this was a good one.  Even though the Palace 9 in SoBu had to stop the movie twice to reset the speakers that were emitting a loud droning buzz. Queen Bee rules that Palace.  ZZZZing! 

BTW, I know that sloppy sling or whatever the f*** that skit on SNL was, is getting buzz but it sucked and was a stupid rip off of the Lonely Planet internet skits.  Drunk Uncle was good though.

Paul Ryan hoping Obama is ready to lead w/ the fiscal cliff approaching.  Probably also was hoping that he wouldn't be a loser VP candidate as well.  Good to want things Paul.  At least he can take solace in his ability to do sit ups.  If he smoked, drank, and ate junk food he would not need that P90X.... am I right Ben Affleck?  You know what I am saying!  So far the 2 sides are getting even more dug in on their positions for the fiscal cliff so get ready for a chapped ass.  I would like to personally thank my congressmen Bernie and Peter for their intractable positions.  Your ability to stick to the party line regardless of what is in the best interest of your constituency and the country at large is a shining example of leadership and a true measure of your stature as men of the people.  Wait, it is the exact opposite of that?  You don't actually listen at all you just act like that old guy who still doesn't believe we actually landed on the moon?  Oh, well then... I didn't vote for either of these clowns.  And if you are saying, well Jay... if you are so smart why don't you try your hand at government?  Well, I wrote myself in for Senate and I encourage you to do the same next election cycle.  I would gladly sacrifice the medium bucks for the good of the state and country.  That and the salary that is too high and term that is too long for public servants.  Just saying.

One last (maybe) voting thing

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Charlotte VT was a zoo.  But they did have baked goods for sale to benefit the elementary school?

sorry, that joke may be in bad taste.  Of course, people probably should be working rather than throwing fire bombs...

Shameful

The follow up to this election is shameful at best.  Minutes after the results were announced the conservatives and liberals began their sniping anew.  Obama will not have to worry about re-election and the right does not have to worry about Biden so there is not need for another 4 years of campaigning, just get to work you assholes.  The right claims Obama's win is no mandate from the people.  He won.  What more of a mandate do you need, when you are elected president that is the mandate from the people!  It was only by 2%?  That is 2 % more than Mitt Romney.  And Obama... you should learn from your last disaster.  You almost lost to a guy nobody likes because your record is terrible.  What really bothers me is the bullshit.  Romney ran on his ability to work across the aisle.  The minute Obama was elected the Republicans said they would not work with him.  He never had a chance.  Of course jamming a sweeping health care reform down their throats was not the way to make any friends. And now we are on the precipice of a fiscal cliff and we will go over it. 

Boehner just came out and said they would not raise taxes but would raise revenue with reforms such as the 1986 Tax Reform.  Oh, the one that cost 8.9 billion in revenue and actually helped lead to the eventual Bush I tax increase that cost him his job?  That worked well.  Meanwhile there is no way the left will work without some kind of tax increase, period.  Short sighted as well.  Plus the right will not cut defense for Medicaid and the left is the opposite.  No one will bend. They just send vague back handed shots at each other.  It is such a polarized government the 2 sides spend time taking each other down rather than build the country up.  I am just disgusted at our political system.  Believe me I know... I am in the home state of Bernie "Come to Vermont!" Sanders, Howard "hhhyyyyaaaa!!!!" Dean, and Peter "I hate business" Welch.  So there is that.

Election Day!

And it is all about Ohio!!!  Shit.

Hurricane Sandy

What a mess.  I thought it was a non event as we did not even get the high winds predicted here in VT but seeing the dedestation down in NYC it is a shame.  How can the city of NY put on the marathon?  The legistics alone will take away so much from the clean up effort.  I mean they still don't have power below 40th st. right?  And the outer burroughs are a shit show.  Meanwhile the marathon gets generators for the media tent?  WTF?!  At least the rock community is there to the rescue w/ a concert.  Oh wait, that takes up precious time and resources as well?  Oh crap!  I will give a bit of credit to ConEd who is getting crushed all over the place.  I bet it is hard to plan for a 100yr storm and further I bet there are some ConEd employees working their tails off to help those w/out power.  To those folks I say kudos. 

What is the best way to help other than flying in gas cans... anybody know?  Here is a link to the Red Cross, though to be fair I am not sure how much $$ they divert or take for admin. costs.  http://www.redcross.org/charitable-donations

Good luck to those dealing w/ this messed up situation.  No jokes this week.

Well, I have seen worse

And not even speaking about Hurricane Sandy.  I won't make jokes because I know New York and the surrounding areas got f*d up but it barely rained in VT and the wind was very subdued.  I suppose that is actually comforting.  We were down in NYC this weekend.  Tomatillo in Dobbs Ferry NY was quite delicious as a lunch spot. Chicken was well cooked and delicious on my burrito.  Nice Marg., good service, not too expensive. Solid.  And then there was the Saigon Grill in the city.  Always a hit.  The Crispy fish was great if a little bony, the steak cubes were tender and flavorful, the papaya salad was refreshing, and the bonsah pasta or whatever it is called was off the hook.  For delicious well priced probably driven by illegal slave labor... hit up the Saigon Grill, it is great!

Last night we wound down with an HBO movie... Cowboys and Aliens.  It is a pretty stupid movie but it was entertaining and I enjoyed it having already paid my HBO dues.  Is Olivia Wilde really hot or really weird looking... or both?  I mean she looks hot but then close up on HD she has a drive in movie forehead and a giant head for a tiny body?  As a beautiful person I feel qualified to judge other people's looks.  I might give her a chance if I were single... MAYBE!  She is no A-bird, that is for darn sure.  My wife has an excellently proportioned head.

Just so you know

If you are in a poop fantasy league, you might want to consider picking me up off the waiver wire... been a productive week!  We had dinner last night at L'Amante.  It was great but today I am in tough shape.  My own fault.

I am getting old.  I played basketball Tuesday night for the first time this season.  I am still walking around like Fred Sanford and it is Thursday.  WTF?!

Wish I had more this week but I don't.  Seriously, I am really boring. My embed function not working... shit. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stdi-1tIUhM

It's a Sting Operation!!!!

i usually don't go for these fad exercise things but I gotta tell ya... I am a HUGE fan of this new full release Zumba!

I have put it out there on Bloomberg but I think there is really only one thing that could possible slow the current real estate rally... Godzilla!!!

I am stoked for the Debate #3!!!

Moderated by  the newest member of the PBS family... Mr. T.   Prediction?  He has one prediction... Fiscal PAIN!!!

Hey... Lama!

So my special lady and I went to see the Dalai Lama down in Middlebury this past weekend.  Yeah Middlebury is a pretty big deal in case you didn't know!  It was quite an interesting crowd with students, local celebs, and aging hippies.  As it was 35 degrees and quite raw out we showed up only about a 1/2 hour early and had to sit way in the back of Nelson Arena which was fine.  There were only  a few thousand people there so you could still see and hear fine.  My wife overheard some dipshit say they had been camped out in line since 4AM.  Really?  So you could get in the 2nd row as opposed to the 32nd? Ok, whatever weirdo.  Anyway, the real line to camp out in was for the bathroom.  The ladies line was 30 minutes plus.  I guess gross granola bars and lemon bar are a quick means to bodily purification, otherwise known as poop city.

Security was everywhere.  The Lama has an entourage and cruises around in a size able caravan which includes an ambulance (just in case).  He was introduced first by Midd President Ron Leibowitz and then Sen. Patrick Leahy apparently an old pal.  His Holiness then came out for an hour plus talk followed by a Q&A session.  It was really quite good.  Calm, well spoken for not having English as a first language, thoughtful, and really very funny, the Lama was as advertised.  He spoke of peace and understanding but more so of stepping back and thinking through the obstacles that may arise in your life so that you can react in a thoughtful way... that way mostly one of mutual benefit if possible. We become more of a like minded community with less personal differences as we become more global.  Best of all he told personal stories and busted out a series of little jokes.  He also broke out a funny color coordinated visor for his seated Q&A.  Another impressive feature of the speech was his translator.  While His Holiness is quite fluent in English, from time to time he would be looking for a word or expression and after a nod to his translator the quiet guy in the suit would express it for him.  That is an amazing connection and must involve great trust.  All around 2 thumbs up even with the bathroom situation.

We then went over for lunch at the Storm Cafe.  I had not been there in years but it was really quite good.  I had a chicken cheese steak (or was it turkey?).  In any event it was a bird and it was delicious.  The roll was good, the cheese was good, and the hot peppers gave it a nice kick.  The side Cesar was also crisp and not over dressed.  Delicious.

So Gunga Gulunga!!!

New Transcript from Space Jump

It is a JayAboutTown *ECLUSIVE* the unreleased transcript of audio from the Felix Baumgartner space jump!

"OK, I'm going home now.  F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! I just shit myself! F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! F*ck!F*ck!F*ck!F*ck!!!!!!!!"

I can't reveal my sources so don't even ask.  That guy is a super bad ass right? 

Hey... I saw Ben Harper

Wife and I went to see Ben Harper last night at the Flynn.  Before cruising over there we went to Verita Pizza for dinner.  Was a little packed which is a good sign so we ate at the pizza bar.  Service was not too bad and the food was quite good.  We has a salami insalata and arugula salad which were nice.  We then shared a sauteed onion, mozz., and sauce pizza that was good.  It was a nice meal.

The concert itself was also good.  The scene was packed when we arrived.  The lobby was jammed w/ 30-40 yr olds who were all blitzed out after their once every 4month joint session and were drinking beers at the overwhelmed bar.  The stoner factor was very evident in the bathroom line.  The line to the men's room was shockingly about 8 times longer than the ladies room and snaked around a bit. About 8 idiots wandered up to the front of the line and stared quite confused before mentally doing the gymnastics needed to get to the back of that line.  Upstairs it was fine.  It was very hot and got a bit uncomfortable from time to time.  The crowd was also annoying... it was like the first time these morons were out of the house.  First there were the people that screamed their requests all night.  Did I mention it was a gentle one man acoustic set so every screaming patron was very obvious.  Then you had the guys from the back row who wandered up to the front of the theater to stand in front of other patrons while they took cell phone pics.  You also had the stoned white guy who failed to get the crowd to stand up in solidarity during the cover of "Get Up, Stand Up". Finally was the idiot who sang at the top of her lungs to "The Drugs Don't Work" nearly louder than Ben himself.  Mr. Harper was a good sport interacting with the crowd and generally seeming to enjoy himself.  He might have told a few too many stories and there was a ton of name dropping but some of these stories were pretty entertaining and he told them without a hint of smuggery.  The music was quite good with a mix of old faves, new tunes, and a couple cool covers.  He played a ukulele, electric guitar, a slide guitar, acoustic guitar, and this other thing I forget the name of as well as the piano and the xylophone.  It was quite a virtuoso performance.  I really liked the cover of "Indifference" on the xylophone.  Another highlight was when he busted out "Burn One Down"... security was on high alert, pun intended, ready to crack some skulls if anyone even thought about burning one down!

I forgot to mention the opening act.  No idea what his name was but he had the most dorky cliched vocals that brought down excellent acoustic guitar work.  His highlight was when he told us how he wrote his latest song while on Spring Break... the dude looked 30! 

It was a fun show nonetheless and I had a good time not burning one down!!

Tonight is mercifully the end of the worst Red Sox season I have ever seen... I think the guy that begs for change in front of Starbucks will be starting for the Sox tonight and the lineup will feature the Natick 8th grade outfielders, Fenway parking garage attendant at first base, Ted Williams frozen head at second, some blind guy at short stop (Nomaaaaaaaa!!!), Mo Vaughn and Mo Vaughn's enormous gut at third... and catching the chair that Clint Eastwood was growling at.  Should be a good one.

Jay About Handy's

Not that kind of handy perv!  Handy's the diner over on Maple and S. Champlain in Burlington.  I have driven past the place a thousand times and in a moment of inspiration decided to try it for lunch. I thought I might get a sandwich to go but it really is more of a sit down spot.  There is one big U shaped lunch bar w/ stools in the middle of the room.  When I cruised in a little before noon I was the only patron.  A 90 yr old "waitress" or something was at the far end by the kitchen snacking and reading the paper.  Then a crazy lady in her early 40s but looking like 70 cruised in and sat down.  How do I know her age?  Well, she did not shut the f*** up the entire time she was there and said she graduated high school in '88.  Must have gone on to beauty school afterwards.  She had a brutal fake tan, heavy hooker blue eye shadow, pink lipstick, long two tone navy blue nails, and a Cruella Deville two tone white and brown hair-do.  It was something.  Soon the place filled all the way up.  This was truly an old school experience, people all chimed in on conversations around the bar, the main guy seemed to know everyone by name, he paid careful attention to folks who needed it (2 year olds and morons w/ a fake tan), and it seemed very homey.  The menu was expansive and I was a little overwhelmed.  I went w/ a Patty melt.  They slopped butter w/ a brush onto marble rye and then fried it up on the griddle.  This surrounded a decent burger patty, American cheese, and thousand island dressing.  I topped it off w/ shoestring fries and a Coke.  I nearly had a heart attack eating it but the food was pretty good.  Not great but a nice diner experience and as you could see the kitchen it seemed pretty clean.  The fries were well cooked and not soggy and the sandwich also held up well, especially considering the heavy butter load.  The meal itself was cheap, $9.95.  I gave the guy a $20 and he gave me $10.50 back.  I only had a single dollar and the nickel for a tip but that is what the guy next to me left as well so I guess that was ok.  Overall it was a pretty good lunch and if I live I will go back. Pretty sure Cruella was giving Hand's out back post lunch as well so if that is your thing there you go.

**I have subsequently learned that I was waited on by Earl Handy who is the third generation running the joint and a nice guy, so there is another reason to check it out.

Bikers are so smug

Nope, not like Harley bikers... they are dirty or rich and weird.  People on bicycles.  They are a really annoying culture.  I run into them all the time, especially on the road I live on.  There are 2 things that really bug me about bicyclists... one is that they all wear super tight shirts splashed with ads.  Hey, 60 year old fat dude, I know you are not sponsored by Red Bull.  And if you are, they either have a ton of money or sight unseen givers!  Secondly, I don't like the fact they use the rules of the road to their advantage in a shitty way.  Hey, road is wide open?  Well, we have the same rights as motor vehicles, let's ride 8 across at 15MPH in a 45MPH zone?  Uh-oh, red light.  No big deal, we are on bikes, blow right through it.  Hey, too much traffic on the road I was just clogging up, better hop on the sidewalk and try to kill a pedestrian.  Create one set of rules and live by them.  I say closer to pedestrian than motor vehicle right?   A bike can go what, 20mph if you are really cooking?  that seems a lot closer to 5mph than my car at 45.  Plus if you on the bike hits a person on the sidewalk you may hurt them, but if I hit you with my car on the road while you are doing something dumb I will kill you.  So get in the bike lane or on the sidewalk, I don't want to kill anybody!

Had a nice lunch at Barkeater's this weekend.  Chicken club.  Was really quite good.  Name still sucks.  If you are looking for a free movie on Comcast stay FAR AWAY from Stone w/ Ed Norton and Bobby DeNiro.  My wife was disgusted with how boring and stupid it was.  I agreed.

Jay About Charleston

So my new company has an office in South Carolina and this weekend we shot on down to meet and great with the team.  I had not been to Charleston since I was a kid and was pretty excited to see the city as an adult.  First off it was a pretty easy trip w/ a short layover in DC.  The Charleston airport is very chill and manageable.  The weather was warm and pretty humid but not unpleasant. The city itself is pretty cool.  There are some really nice old houses on the water and it is very clean.  Unlike Burlington you can walk on the shopping strip and not get harassed by the degenerates.

Food in Charleston is really quite good.  We had a really nice sandwich and salad at the Daniel Island golf course (not always the case at those places), we had a couple solid dinners and even the random deli type place we went made an excellent lamb gyro.  Seriously.  Saffron.  Gyro.  We did dinner on the first night at The Grocery.  It was a newer spot in a part of town that is going through a bit of a renewal.  In fact a sign across the street on a busted up building said as much.  Inside the space was large, well lit, and well appointed.  They had a great bar with very solid drink options and a nice local beer selection. Dinner was also very good.  We shared a bunch of stuff and from the lamb shoulder to the short ribs the food was flavorful and well cooked.  The whole fried snapper was especially good.  Should I have eaten one of the eyeballs?  Debatable.

Night 2 we rolled to Taco Boy.  Now this place was surrounded by what looked like the ghetto.  Is it because I am a racist Yank?  Maybe... but I will give you $20 if you want to walk around there at night by yourself.  The place itself was packed and very fun.  Gay military night made it extra lively and fun (not joking).  The Mexican corn was off the chain, just delicious.  I had a chorizo and potato taco and a slow roasted beef taco.  They were good.  The Margarita sucked but they had plenty of Mexican beers so no big deal. 

Another nice meal was the lunch we had at the Leaf Cafe.  I had a Serrano ham and Manchego melt with tomatoes.  F*ing-A right it was delicious. I should have gone with the frickles instead of the slaw.  That was a tactical error.  Apparently I also should have ordered "sweet tea" rather than the unsweetened which I got in trouble for.  That and believing in science.  Just kidding.

It was a fun trip and I look forward to heading back... even for more wings and beer buckets at the Kickin' Chicken!

Jay About Logan's

So a little market opened up across from our office a week or so ago, didn't you know? I am like a rapper. Ok, off topic.  Logan's of Vermont is the market.  It has been pretty slow going.  The place is still pretty sparse although the product it does have is pretty high quality.  I grabbed a Cuban panini today for lunch (forsaking my leftovers). It was not too bad.  Pork was pretty good, pickles had nice flavor, good mustard.  It was good not great.  It also came with a side salad that was also ok.  Overall I am not sure how to grade the place.  I found it very OK.  A little expensive. So this review probably matched my meal?

Jay About E.B. Strong's Steakhouse

So Burlington is in the midst of an upscale steak revolution.  There are a few BBQ joints opening and at least 2 expensive "destination" steak houses in the mix.  Can this small liberal town support that kind of action?  Well, we could not support 2 mid level ones so I am skeptical.  Last night we had a work dinner so we went to check out the one on Church Street, Strong's.  It has been getting solid press and much fanfare.  One funny review we read mentioned the light and refreshing wedge salad.  I have never equated blue cheese dressing, onions, and bacon with a "light" salad but f*** it, go with your bad self.  We had a table reserved but bellied up to the bar to watch the epic U.S. Open final that was rocking.  Things started poorly... the bar was packed with stuffy old guys drinking wine and acting like big shots.  Big shots roll with hot girls and don't wear Van Huesen tough guys.  In any event it was tough to get a drink or get the TV changed from Andrew Zimmer eating raw testicles to tennis. Finally the old guys cleared to a table in the back and we were off and running.  Aaron (spelled wrong?) was a pretty attentive bar tender once you got on his good side.  He did make me an excellent Manhattan w/ Bullit Rye.  We started off w/ apps.  The fried oyster sliders were very good.  Tender and on a tasty puff pastry roll.  The truffle infused fries were also pretty good but they needed more sauce.  One of our guys was hoping for tartar sauce for the oysters and Aaron whipped him up a pretty acceptable stand in. He hustled for us after that... kudos. Hell yeah I had a wedge salad, it was f*ing delicious.  The main course was not great.  We shared a large rib eye on the bone, creamed spinach, fried asparagus, and fried calamari.  See a trend?  I am fat.  The steak was grisly, chewy, and not particularly flavorful.  The creamed spinach did not really have any cream.  The asparagus was fine.  Calamari was good.  Pounded thin and breaded they were tender and have nice flavor.  Overall it was fine.  For $25 the steak would have been fine. For $50 it was subpar.  The place is very expensive and shooting for something but is not nearly there. That is ok but will not be sustainable. I might go back but it will be on someone else's dime.  BTW, other than the old guys and a decent bar crowd it was not very busy at all.  It was only Monday though.  We party. 

P.S. I called it early and was home before midnight.  I have somehow caught a nasty cold though and was up all night with a sore throat and stuffed nose. I will not blame steak house, but it will be in the back of my mind.

Boy oh Boy

Yeah, I know... posting has been pretty sparse of late.  New job has kept me extremely busy.  Believe it or not but the home life has been even busier.  We travelled last week and this week we have windows in the house being replaced, wife was on the road yesterday, wedding this weekend, I had to find a new dry cleaner, get a haircut, and a bunch of other crap.  Cat eating and then puking up mice.  It is pretty crazy right now. 

I will say that the trip we had to Maine last week was nice.  The new restaurant The Lost Kitchen in Belfast provided us with one of the finest meals either of us had had in awhile.  Between the beet carpaccio, the roasted chicken, and the almond toffee terrine desert... it was just all well prepared, pleasing to look at and delicious.  Check it out if you are in the area.

We had a client in town this week and it was raining so we just cruised over to the IceHouse for lunch.  I have never been a big fan.  It is generic and too expensive for very mediocre food.  That said, I had a pretty decent lunch there on Monday.  I had a BLT w/ avocado.  Avocado was a little brown but the bacon was cooked perfectly and the bread was really quite nice.  It was a good sandwich.  An added bonus was our clearly stoned out of his mind waiter who could not pull himself together.  At one point he commented how out of it he was and that he usually had a great memory (after forgetting my chips and mixing up who ordered what).  Sure you do Cheech... sure you do.

What a way to start the day

Stumble downstairs to pee and feed the cat... What do I find? Puke. Thanks boomer. Right at the foot of the stairs. Of course that was nothing. When I went to get in the shower there on the bath mat was mouse guts and part of a half eaten carcass. F*** you boomer!!!

Bulb conspiracy

I am busting the myth... I just had to replace another fluorescent bulb. It was somewhere around the 8th I have had to change in the past year. 3x the amount of regular bulbs. So I pay a huge premium to get a third of the life and 4x the cost? The fluorescent PAC is a strong one!!!

Yeah

Day... Uh, Thursday... The Lost Kitchen. Very elegant and delicious

Jay about belfast

Night one, delvinos... So far beer ok but marinated mushrooms very balsamic good

crap

I have been busy with some pretty heavy stuff.  That's right... I am now into rhino wrestling... 

Vacation next week then I will get back after it.

Jay About Misery Loves Company

My buddy DG gave me the head's up about the Misery Loves Company food truck and said it was going to be parked down by the Maglinero cafe yesterday.  Hey, I love me some food truck fare so obviously I was in!  We rolled down and it was parked in an out of the way parking lot in an industrial area surrounded by odd warehouses and shipping facilities behind a nondescript cafe.  The large red and white camper looking thing was half in the shade and beside a small table and a couple picnic tables in the shade.  The menu as you can hopefully see is ridiculous.  DG ran w/ the fried chicken lunch box that came w/ potato two ways... fries and potato salad.  It looked damned good.  I opted for the Anti Hero because if I didn't get it my wife was going to be mad.  Hey I will take that pork meatball bullet? Well, it was delicious.  Not too big but plenty filling with 3 silky porky meatballs, a heavy dose of Mozzarella cheese oozing all over the place, on a great bun.  The fresh tomato and basil sauce was what made it all come together.  It had a concentrated flavor that was fresh but at the same time just the right amount of oily.  It was great.  My only regret was not adding a beignet or two!  Prices were reasonable and the service was just fine.  I will go back whenever I see these guys.

Well, That is Dumb

In the April issue of Runner's World there is a large article about eating red meat to build muscle and strengthen your body.  That's good.  About 20 pages later there is an article about losing weight and red meat is a major non no.  That is bad.  Why was I reading this magazine in the first place?  It was in the crapper at work.  I find this to be pretty typical of the mag though.  Confused as to who and what it is trying to target and ultimately making me confused about how to take care of their body.  Unlike me who is a shining beacon of physical fitness!!

How about Paul Ryan huh?  I certainly don't know that guy personally but his public persona makes him seem like a huge asshole.  Smug, weaselly, untrustworthy.  Pretty typical move to the far right to appease a constituent base that probably cannot carry a full election.  Ryan strikes me as the kid who would totally rat you out in college for drinking in your dorm room. It is interesting but there are emerging parallels between Mitt and our old pal Howard Dean.  As a governor, Dean was moderate to somewhat conservative for a democrat.  Mitt was often seen as very liberal for a republican... especially when it came to social issues.  When he got to the national stage Dean bowed to the wishes of the liberal faction within his party and became a far left winger radical.  He pandered to the loud voices in the party and lost the majority of America who are not interested in extreme political views that exclude other voices and shout down competing opinions.  Mitt is now making the same move to the far right because he is worried about losing the money from the far right, even though that may ultimately cost him in the general election.  Unlike Bush II, Obama has not f*d up quite enough to make the move that far right.  It seems like a moderate who will not spend us into oblivion but will also not make radical changes to our social programs would have a real shot to unseat a president who is making enough mistakes to be beaten but has done enough right (Osama) to not just give it away.  So be careful Mitt... You might piss off Florida, you might piss off Ohio, you might piss off New Jersey... HHHHYYYYAAAAHHHHH!!!!!

Work is for Suckers

Now folks who know me well also know that I am currently in an interesting work situation where I have a bit more flexibility than in the past... this should be short term.  Why mention it?  Because they will laugh at what I am about to say.  Yesterday I was driving down Rt 7 south around 1PM and the traffic was insane.  Much worse than usual, approaching the 8AM and 5PM rush hour volume.  Thurs. at 1PM, how odd? Lunch traffic?  Sure who doesn't want to get in the car to enjoy Chipolte poops?  Well, I was again on 7 at 3PM and there was still a ton of traffic.  This morning my Special Lady and I had to run an errand or two in the morning.  Afterwards we wanted to grab a quick bits, it was around 10:30AM.  Today is Friday.  Still a workday as far as I know?  Church Street was very busy.  We went to Penneycluse which is always a stupid wait.  30 minutes.  Yikes.  How about Mirabelle's which is usually busy but reasonable.  Packed and a 10-15 minute wait. What the f***?  It was 10:30, not 7 or 8.  When did Friday brunch become so popular?  Even the coffee shop had a substantial line.  In past years when the summertime hits Burlington becomes a very manageable town.  College kids who make up a large portion of the population leave for the break and the soccer mom/dad traffic also abates during the week.  Usually there is no wait anywhere and things are active bot overly so other than on weekends.  This summer has been different.  There are people everywhere and it is a zoo?  Is it unemployment?  If so how can they afford a $30 breakfast?  Queebs?  That explains some but not all of the increase.  Have we become more of a vacation destination or is it worse?  I think we are seeing a noticeable uptick of a longstanding problem... wealthy folks w/ inexplicable income who come here to not work.  Like zombies they multiply and eventually instead of eating your brains they chew on your nerves until you too become a social mutant!  Beware!  BEWARE!!!!!

Saw Total Recall yesterday.  It sucked.

Was thinking about a vacation in the fall or early winter and just could not seem to find the right thing but then like a bolt of lightning...

Holy Muffled Voices Batman!

So we finally went to see the new Batman movie this weekend and it was great.  I have been a big fan of all 3 of Christopher Nolan's Batman movies and this one really was a capper.  The muffled Bane voice was the only real distraction.  Otherwise, good characters, lots of action, and an excellent use of the musical score to help build tension.  2 thumbs up.

We also ventured out Sunday night to the Vermont Fresh Networks event at Shelburne Farms.  They do a nice job bring local merchants and chefs to the event to show their skills attempting to use as many local ingredients as possible.  My special lady will most likely correct me but we really liked the zucchini cupcake from Shelburne Farms, the blueberry dessert from Mirabelle's, the pork empenada which I think was from Ariels and the pork Bahn Mei which I am totally flaking on... Jay Peak Resort?  Surprisingly weak efforts from Michael's on the Hill, Pistou, and Hen of the Wood.  Surprisingly strong efforts from 3 Tomatoes (nice meatball mini sub), 60 Battery in the Hilton, The Jay Peak folks.  The Eden Ice cider was also a revelation.  Really delicious.  As usual the Strafford Organic Creamery did a great job finishing w/ delicious ice cream.  I started with mocha that my wife absconded with leaving me with an also tasty cinnamon.  Good job all around and a fun event.

Last night I had a huge porterhouse steak at Church and Main.  It was actually quite good.  The Cesar Salad was good.  The Pinot from Willamette was also a great drinking wine.  One of the better meals I have had there... nice work.  I am nervous that the steak has not made another appearance yet.  Wish me luck.

I Have Been Chipolte'd!

A Chipolte Grill recently opened on Rt. 7 next to 5 Guys and I finally stopped by last night to grab a couple burritos to go.  First off, I got in line and was on my way.  2 spots in front of me was some high school kid who looked like he was just out of basketball practice or something.  Why else would you wear really long shorts and a tank top in public?  His buddy rolled in and butted in to the line next to him. Normally people might have been annoyed except this kid was so trashed (8PM) that it was like watching a car crash.  He was getting in his pal's face, nose to cheek, to tell him stuff in a loud voice (quiet restaurant).  He also was swaying a little and rubbing his hands ind a really weird way.  The best was when the kid went to order... "Steak Burrito"
"Any rice or beans?"
"Rice, no beans"
"White or brown rice?
"Steak burrito... beans... no rice."
"Um, ok."

It continued from there, pretty funny stuff.  I rolled up and got a veggie burrito and a chicken one.  I got guacamole and hot sauce, with brown rice on both.  The veggies did not look all that fresh, the chicken was also a little heat lampy.  Once home and eating it tasted ok.  The guac. was pretty good.  The hot sauce I had on the chicken was quite spicy.  Overall it was ok, not great.  And then the evening happened.  Heartburn for 2 at 3AM.  Funny, I don't remember ordering that?  Terrible stinky farts for me all night.  I do remember getting that as a side.  Finally, in the morning I had the worst burny shits.  I am still suffering mid way through the day!  So be careful w/ the old Chipolte Grill.

One other review, stopped by Soyo on Pine Street for a frozen yogurt.  I think the claim to fame is they try to use local milk?  I don't know if that is the case or not, I had a couple drinks before going there and was only partially paying attention.  I had, on the advice of a friend the plain.  She kind of steered me wrong, apparently you can get a twist w/ 2 flavors.  Thanks KB!  Well, to be fair, the plain was quite good.  Solid flavor, tangy, it tasted like yogurt.  I also opted for strawberries (my call) and mochi (KB advised).  They were a good addition.  The mochi balls were delicious, sweet with a great consistency to balance the froyo.  It was good, I would definitely go back.

Finally... Boo to the new Dream Team in U.S. basketball.  They set all kinds of records in beating up on a hapless Nigerian team.  This team is the sum of their parts... Lebron, Carmelo, Westbrook... they are just bullies.  They beat up on weaker teams but when a good one steps up, they shrink.  There was no need to run the score up as they did, every team knows how to take the air out of the ball.  I dislike this team very much.  Boooo.  Go Gabby Douglas and the rest of the U.S.A., I am digging the rest of the competition very much.

HAHAHAHA

I was just taking a peak at my blog stats and one of the top ten search terms was "Big Poop Cartoon.".  That is funny right?  Especially since the period was included in the search which is atypical.  Like these people were looking for the definitive big poop cartoon, not just any big poop cartoon.  Hope you found what you were looking for my friends!

Jay About Wilco

This was a crazy weekend for my special lady and I.  First off it was hot and very humid here in VT so any activity was accompanied by a fair amount of clammy sweat.  Excited for the rest of this post?  Well, alright!  So we headed to Woodstock, VT for a full on wedding weekend.  Rehearsal party Friday night followed by back to back wedding/ wedding parties in Woodstock on Saturday.  Friday was fun w/ some friends, jokes, a few beers and a kind of late night.  I was an early close out around 2:30am.  BTW, we rented the Miller's House in South Woodstock w/ a group for the weekend.  If you are ever in the area and looking for lodgings check it out, nice enough place, decent space for 6-8 and reasonable px. So Saturday we woke up, putzed around a bit downtown and then headed to the wedding parties.  The rain was a drag but both were fun and the energy levels were high.  So we saw dudes dancing w/ no shirts to Madonna, bridesmaid deciding it was time to show off her undergarments, more sweaty people, pretty good food, a last minute replacement who did a nice catering job, and a naked dude covered in puke (actually heard but did not see that one directly).  Quite the shows as always.

Sunday we stopped at my folks for a few minutes and then cruised to friends LB squared for a birthday BBQ.  Fun time and again, good food and a few beers.  I was running out of steam as we headed to the Wilco show at the Essex fairgrounds.  I don't really care for that venue but compared to our last show there the crowd was mellow and the acoustics were pretty ok.  The weather was as good as it had been in weeks making it very pleasant... warm but with a cooling breeze.  The show itself was great.  They rocked a few new tunes but also played a bunch of the standards keeping the crowd engaged.  There was some rocking but they did not drop into the sonic abyss which can happen from time to time.  It was a good show and second time I have seen them in VT and really liked them. 

So now I need some sleep, after work of course!

Stacks Stacks Stacks!!!

I had a Chicago Roast Beef sandwich from Stacks yesterday.  It was pretty darn good.  Meat was tender, bun stayed not too soggy, and the garlic mayo was really good.  They are starting to get it.

So I was getting ready for bed last night and I noticed 2 huge bug bites of some sort on my ass.  Serious, these things were huge and itchy as f***.  I was wearing shorts and boxer briefs so how did a bug get at my behind?  Ants in my pants?  Really annoying.

I don't actually have much to say I just felt like posting something so I did.  What are you going to do about it?  Huh?  Punk?!

Well, RIP Sherman Helmsley.  I really liked that show when I was a kid.  I suppose I didn't "get it" but still, it was pretty funny.

Jay About the Shopping Bag

If you ever are looking for the best burger in Burlington, VT you will most likely be directed towards the Shopping Bag on North St. in the Old North End.  So just go North ok?  Well, I have been in Burlington for over a decade and I finally decided to make my way over to grab a burger for lunch.  The Old North End is a dump.  It just is.  There is a large immigrant population which is fine and very interesting for our cultural diversity but most of these folks are just getting themselves going so it is a pretty poor population.  Add to that the drug dealers in front of the elementary school on Murray St., the dudes not wearing shirts and drinking tall boys while riding their bikes around, the tattooed mothers buying 2 liter jugs of soda for their kids, and the crazy people who talk to themselves when not staring at you and you have a pretty bleak situation.  So I braved the crazies and made it to a shitty looking market in the middle of it all.  Inside was not any better than outside and I got a little nervous.  The ordering process is also difficult to manage as you determine what you want from the menu above the grill area, order at the register in a cramped front of the store, take the order back to the burger counter, and then wait in a tiny vestibule for your burger.  Well, I finally got my burger after what felt like a very painful wait.  It Food and Wine or whatever it is that gushes over this place tells you how quaint it is do not believe them.  The Shopping Bag as an entity is a dump and you certainly cannot eat there.  I took my burger back to the office and dug in.  Delicious.  Chopped beef that tasted pretty fresh and like real meat.  The bun was soft and buttery... just lightly grilled.  The lettuce and tomato were fresh tasting and the mayo was also good.  The cheese was just American but fitted the overall scheme well.  Was it the best burger in Burlington?  I don't know but I would not really put up an argument against it.  It was a good f*ing burger.  I also got a dimebag on the way back.  Just kidding.  I got chips. From the guy on the corner.  He said they were the best BBQ chips in town, very high quality.

Jay About to Get Too Old

So it was my birthday this past weekend and I turned 36.  While I don't feel in firmed I certainly am not spry.  We played a soccer game in 80 degree humid heat a man down last night and today I can barely move.  Plus 2 Michelob Ultras (not my purchase) gave me a decent buzz.  So over the weekend we spent some time chilling at the Charlotte beach which was surprisingly quite nice or at least very relaxing.  Easy lake access but hard to find shade and a little rocky/zebra mussel-y.  That night we met up w/ friends, one of whom (KB) was also celebrating a birthday on good old Bastille Day.  We rolled over for a couple of solid cocktails at the Prohibition Pig in Waterbury and then on to one of my local favorites, Hen of the Wood.  It was very good.  We had delicious fried oysters, sliced cucumber and fennel, and something I am now forgetting w/ Ricotta even though it was very tasty... wait fresh green peas, yeah that is it?  See, I am losing my memory with this old age.  Either that or the 2 bottles of wine we shared (a very solid Pinot from the Willamette Valley... Le Elle or something, it is not on the online menu.  So given that I am 0 for 2 I am giving this blog 1 thumb down!  Ok, the one misstep they made was the mushroom toast which was straight up burnt.  We alerted the host and without hesitation he took it back and came back a short while with a well cooked and very good tasting buttery mushroom toast. I am pretty sure they did not spit in it.  For the main course i went w/ Skate wing sauteed in brown butter that was excellent, firm but flaky, plenty of depth, not at all fishy.  My special lady went w/ a goat's milk dumpling that sounded better than it was.  By that I mean it sounded amazing but was merely good.  It was a pretty solid lunch left over though.  1 3/4 thumbs up overall and that is not the capper scotch talking either... or maybe it is.

2 quick reviews.  I watched In Time with Justin Timberlake on Sunday.  I am actually a Timberlake fan as an actor but that movie sucked.  He is a better part time player. Too stiff to carry a movie.  Everybody in it seemed to think they were going straight to the SyFy channel because they were not believable at all.  It was just pretty cheesy.  If time is truly currency then I was almost murdered by that movie! 1 thumb down.  The Amazing Spiderman.  Not so amazing as luck would have it.  I won't mention when I snuck out to watch this one but I was solo knowing my wife had the good sense to take a pass.  It was fine I suppose and worth seeing on the big screen for the action.  But while I like that Garfield kid as Eduardo in the Facebook movie he was a little off in this one.  It just didn't have the same freshness as the first Spiderman w/ Tobey Maguire.  As my buddy said, that is to be expected when you remake a movie only 10 yrs after it originally came out?  Well, it gets half a thumb up.  See it on the big screen but go for a matinee or one of those second run theaters.  Don't go for 3-D, nobody needs to see crap flying right at them. 

I am going to go.  I need to take my pants off and run through the sprinkler, it is f*ing hot.

Like a Tomb

I work at what used to be a trading desk.  It is more of a client service/ general portfolio management services firm.  You expect subtle differences in style without a doubt.  It is dead quiet here.  People get upset when you make noise.  When people get on the phone (infrequently) it is in hushed tones.  Pretty big change of pace.  I am sort of a big personality (and very good looking)  so this is hard for me to integrate with.  All I can here is the tip tap of keyboard strokes and once in a while a hushed conversation.  Even the TV;s have the volume off so you watch CNBC but have no idea what they are saying.  I am afraid to fart... one, because I might shit myself... two because everyone on my floor will hear it!!!

BTW, thx KB/DG the dinner last week was delicious as always and the gellato Talenti?  To die for w/ it's silky texture and delicious flavor!  Bravo!!!  Of course KB, you Words W/ Friends skills are not at smooth.  Hahahhahahahahaha!!!

Jay About Newport VT

So my brother in law had an idea to take crazy to the nth degree.  He signed up to swim 10 miles in Lake Memphremagog up in Newport by the Canadian border.  Supposedly that is the equivalent of a 40 mile jog... or one dead Jaybird.  I am not that strong of a swimmer.  So he had to fight past the crowd, get to the open water and then follow his wife in a kayak who would direct him and send food and water rations to him.  Oh yeah, the wind kicked up sending both swimmers and paddlers off course in a zig zag fashion.  It took about 5 hours give or take.  We saw 2 guys come in after 7 hours in the water.  Can you imagine?  Swimming for 7 hours?  One of the guys collapsed on shore and looked like he was not a real person any more.

Well, my nusto brother was pretty much fine afterwards so after they ate some lunch we watched an extended awards ceremony which included the MC forgetting what award he was giving out multiple times, calling out the wrong people and even excusing himself mid ceremony to take a call on his cell.  Go Newport!

After all of this we walked up to Main Street to look for dinner.  The lake is beautiful and the downtown is actually quite nice filled w/ many brand spanking new buildings.  Of course this masks the surrounding which is an old mining town and not so nice.  Want to see a mass of shirtless (or tank top wearing) dudes w/ a million tattoos?  This is your town my friend.  I think they are ripe for gentrification with Canadian money though, it seems right.

Anywho... we ended up at the Italian standard Lago Trattoria.  We settled in and I wanted to impress my father and brother in law so we ordered a tasting flight of local VT brews including Switchback, otter Creek Alpine Black IPA, a Long Trail Heffeweisen, and their in house brew.  Well, the beers were warm and flat.  No a good sign.  I opted for a Moretti which was in a bottle... cold and carbonated.  For chow we started with fresh figs with prosciutto and a balsamic reduction.  It was amazing.  The ham was salty and not stringy and the figs were indeed fresh and delicious.  We then opted for a salad course.  My lady and I had the mixed greens which were fine.  Finally we got a trio of pizzas.  One had the famous auntie's meatballs which were actually dry and not that good.  The mushroom and white truffle oil pizza was better, not great.  The sausage one with Ricotta was probably the best one.  The crust was like matzo and I am not sure why it took over and hour to cook other than the fact the kitchen is too small for the dining space.  The food only gets a B and make sure you don't tempt fate w/ beer on tap but it was a nice setting, the service was friendly and it seemed like a good local joint for families so there is that.

Now I am back to sleepless nights.  Ever have things just not seem to fall into place?  I am in that negative feedback loop right now and it is not that fun. Farting on my cube neighbor... that is fun.

Strange Lunch Run

The usual Church Street regulars not withstanding... I had an odd lunch walk.  I cruised over to one of my go-to's Bueno Y Sano and thought I was in good shape.  There was no line and the place a few patrons but not too much action.  So I stepped up to the counter prepared to order.  The stoned guy at the register was on the phone, apparently taking an order.  So I waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Then got pissed.  Then I left.  In 10 minutes the guy never looked up from the phone, never said "hold on a sec", and seemed like he was taking his first phone order.  Granted it seemed like an order for 235 burritos but what the f***?  So I popped over to the BlueBird kiosk for a pressed sandwich.  I had not had lunch from there since they first opened so I was curious.  I got a grilled chicken w/ onions, pate, and Gruyere cheese on a buttery grilled bread.  It was very heavy but quite delicious as a once in awhile treat.  Check it out if you are looking for something to take back to the office.  So as I am walking back I walk past a little kind maybe 2 feet tall and his mom going the other way.  The kid takes a swipe at me and hits me in the leg just missing my ball sack.  I shit you not, I was a little shocked.  I looked back but the kid did not seem to care or have any malicious intent... he was just swinging away! 

The Newsroom Review

F***, what a dissapointment.  We really liked the first episode, liked it alot.  The second episode?  O total piece of shit.  They turned a well thought out political commentary into an episode of Murphy Brown.  No, that is not true, Murphy Brown was good.  It was like Ally McSuck.  They tried for too much witty repartae with machine gun dialoge back and forth and too much back and forth for characters who do not know each other.  Plus it just all seemed way too contrived. Oh, and did I mention the numerouse relationship subplots?  I can get that kind of idiocy on ABC.  Sorry Aaron Sorkin and HBO... you f8cked up.


BTW, Blogger is a piece of shit and the spell check is not working.  And I am a moron who cannot Spele so gude