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

Jay About the Islands

Nope... not the Carribean islands, the upstate Vermont islands!  My special lady and I had worked around the house Saturday and were looking for a little respite on Sunday.  But where to go?  Why not the lovely islands in Lake Champlain.   So we packed up the car w/ hiking gear (no need), beach stuff (no need), and golf shit (kind of needed).  We rolled up Rt. 2 through South Hero, Grand Isle, North Hero, over 129 to Alburg, and finally Isle La Motte.  It was a beautiful drive actually.  There were a ton of Quebecoise.  Apparently it was Canadian Day.  Seriously.  In any event, we took in the sites and then made a couple stops.  We noticed a big state park in North Hero and thought that would be a great place to throw down a towel, mabye take a dip and have a snack.  Well, not so much.  After a long drive we found a small shale beach w/ a couple of busted looking picnic tables, a locked lavatory, port-o-pot, and all of the zebra mussels and green muck you could handle.  It was a beautiful location but not exactly a sit down and relax spot.  There were a few much better looking beaches, notably at the Saint Anne's Shrine but they were packed.  We decided to turn around and head back.  By 1:30 we were getting pretty hungry.  But where to stop?  One hot looking spot was the North Hero House.  If you are one of the 5 regular followers of this blog you know that we went a few years ago for a romantic getaway and it did not go well.  So what would this trip bring?  The scene was very scenic and hopping.

OK, it did not start well.  We were seated and then immediately moved for a bigger group.  My wife meanwhile had to wait an extended period to use the bathroom while someone took a shower in the one beach use bathroom.  Yikes!  We then had 3 people ask if we needed a drink.  After 10 minutes or so we finally got our beer and Arnie Palmer from a 4th guy.  A 5th then took our meal order.  He was good though.  The beach crowd was not as scenis as the lake.  Lots of fat sunburnt folks in swimsuits.  It was like a painting from 1725.  Right?  People were fat back then right?  Anyway.  The food came out pretty quickly and it was not bad.  I had a pulled pork that I enjoyed with good coleslaw and kind of gross pasta salad.  My lady had a nondescript bean burger which came back to haunt her later.  Overall, after some fits and starts is was probably one of the better options we came across.  Not fine dining but pretty good for a summer day on the lake.

Our final stop was a detour for 9 holes of golf.  How about the Apple Island Resort?!  We saw it from the road and made our move.  It was odd.  We drove up through what by all accounts was an upscale mobile home park.  There were expensive mobile homes and tons of very well maintained vacation style mobile homes.  There was also an abundance of golf carts.  Everybody had one... except us. We got to the clubhouse and the guy was so used to the golf carts he had to double check the price of a pull cart.  Well, it was a fun, easy, cheap executive course.  The longest hole was 162 yards, the shortest was like 87... I teed off w/ my 60 degree wedge.  Yup, I still lost 2 balls in the long grass.  Shit!

Overall, it was a nice day.  Go VT Islands!!!