Michael Michael

BURGERS & SHAKES

2012-02-21T00:04:00.003-05:00

BURGERS & SHAKES in Miami Beach, FL

It has many of the right ingredients but just not all there yet. The set up is right on. The menu is great. But, the burger needs a little more time.

I was skeptical when I wasn't asked for a cooked temperature. You know, mid-rare, medium, well, etc... I opted for the B&S Burger with cheese, bacon and a fried egg. The bun was good but not the best match. My egg was fried and not sunny side up as preferred. The patty ended up medium well.

Overall a good lunch but not worth a drive, but maybe a step away from the beach.

Enter Stage Left. Exit Very Happy

2012-01-30T05:31:00.001-05:00

Foods, restaurants and definitely burgers rarely live up to how good you remembered them being from the last visit.

Consistency and high quality is part of the reason that Stage Left lives up to their burger reputation. The other reasons are the meat, cheese, bacon and the bun.

Go to Stage Left in New Brunswick, New Jersey and order a medium-rare burger to get a mound of a burger perfectly seared all around with the classic seal locking all of the best juices in. The size and shape of the resulting patty conclude that no amateur is pressing these parties on the grill top. The final product comes out with a super pink tartare like center while the outer edges are a medium-well crust.

The cheese is a wonderful 3 year old Vermont Tillamook to add the perfect tart and variation in between the sirloin and crispy bacon.

Strips of salty bacon peek out from under the bun's cap as if you were supposed to pull on them or maybe that is just the charm of the salt flakes around the rim of each strip.

This perfect sandwich is all put together with lettuce, tomato, red onion and surrounded by a great bun.

Stage Left is a phenomenal stop for the burger aficionado. Make sure to sit at the bar as burgers are not served in the regular dining areas.

Milestones and Changes

2011-12-28T17:25:00.002-05:00

200 posts and 20,000+ pageviews in my first 4 1/2 years. Not overwhelming by any means but still chugging along.

I apologize for any broken links and trouble surfing to and around my blog for the coming weeks. I have made a decision to realign my online digital presence by creating a new simple homepage to serve as a menu for my online profiles and activity. This change forced me to commandeer my domain of michaelmakis.com to point to my new landing page instead of my blog. My blog will retain its original michaelmakis.blogspot.com address for now until I can find a way to claim michaelmichael.com (owned by someone else who is not currently using it and doesn't want to sell it) or michaelmichael.blogspot.com to match my blog's title with the URL.

Thanks for reading!

Putting a new stamp on the Post Office

2011-12-28T17:12:00.002-05:00

Here are two ways to fix the out of date floundering United States Postal Service (USPS).

It's disappointing to hear the gloom in the news about the Postal Service, a service that we expect as a right in the United States of America, and how it is failing and making decisions on which local branch offices to close, which days to stop delivering mail on or how much to raise the price of a stamp. These are not the best options and will only extend their problem and continue to destroy the brand.

Americans have been proud of the Post Office brand for years. With few exceptions, someone can pay a minimal amount (+/-44¢) and have an envelope or small package delivered in less than 3 days to someone within the 50 states. With all of the labor and fuel involved this is a good deal relatively speaking. As most people know, technology advancements like email, blogging, micro-blogging, discussion forums and online bill payment compounded with social media and social networking explosions have made a significant blow to the traditional communication and financial transactions previously reserved for traditional mail. Regardless of significant changes and improvements, the Post Office's brand is still the same. They get important messages and packages to recipients quickly (relatively speaking) consistently.

Companies need to change just like people. Small, medium and large companies change all the time. They adapt by creating better products and delivering new services every day or end up going out of business when their products and services are no longer needed. Why should this be any different for the Post Office? There is no need for the Post Office to die off nor should the great people of the United States let it.

USPS made the necessary changes to stay competitive with shippers like UPS, FedEx and DHL over the past couple of decades. But USPS has failed to stay competitive now that communication has gone so much more digital.

Here are the answers: email and file transfer.

If you have the least bit of technically savvy, you are probably thinking, how would this work? These aren't new products?

Email
The Post Office needs to get into the business of email. Email is the communication vehicle that people have been choosing and will continue to trend into for at least a few years to come. The use of blogging, micro-blogging and discussion forums are definitely increasing, but email is something most people need in today's society. There is money to be made off of the (regulated) advertisements parked on the side of email web based applications. And who better to provide email security than the government? People are born everyday that will need new email accounts and if they don't want to wait there are students in public schools that could benefit from their first email accounts.

File Transfer
The second part of the coupled fix is file transfer. People need to get large digital files to recipients immediately every day in today's business world. The Post Office's current best option is overnight or express mail, which just doesn't cut it for most. They need to get into the file transfer business. The quantity, size and frequency of transferred files is increasing all the time. Eventually the infrastructure (application servers, server disk space, bandwidth, associated databases, etc...) of existing vendors will not be able to provide free services for transferring files and will either charge outright per file, per license or by term; or trade free file transfer services for advertisement ridden applications. Again, there are several companies already in this space but this is consistent with the USPS brand, a lot of opportunity remains and would be easy for them to transition in customers as well as convince those advanced in the technology spectrum into digital transactions.

Innovation doesn't always come from brand new ideas as it can also come from a different application of what exists already. Altering the USPS's product landscape with these new directions would make them drastically more applicable to today's instant communication consumer. It's time for the Post Office to start acting outside of their proverbial box and instead of making cuts looks to redefine a well known brand. Good Luck USPS.

3F’s for U

2011-12-22T11:05:00.001-05:00

False Frequent Flyers

Why is it that there are so many airline frequent flyercredit card programs available now? Roadwarriors and regular travelers have forged their brand allegiances grinding outweekly cross country commutes and regular airport journeys to ascend in their club’s frequent flyer statuses, only tonow be trumped by business owners and heavy spenders beating the original system. The goal of ascending to the upper medallion tiersor airline clubs to finally have a chance at a seat where you can actually get somerest, be provided with some snacks, check bags for free or imbibe in theprovided spirits is diminishing in value. The definition of an actual frequent flyer is going out the proverbialwindow as 'status' is now achieved in other ways.

The airlines have stretched their methods to increaserevenues far and wide and have embarked upon partnerships with financial institutions to get the less frequent travelers to payannual banking fees in order to be rewarded with tradeoffs of short domestictickets for annual fees and jump the true frequent flyers to get the last fewupgrade seats available. This is onlygoing to increase over time as these airline companies continue to penetratethe credit card industry. If they wantto give away free trips that’s up to them and I'm all about companies leveraging new ways to generate revenue, but to count them in the same groupsas true frequent flyers is a tough blow to take. Why not rename all of the programs to 'points clubs' as they are no longer frequent flyer programs.

The frequent flyer system has always been tough with annual renewal goals and miles expirations, but it is becoming muchmore of a mirage at this point. With theintensity of in-flight, online and tv advertising to subscribe to all of theairlines' credit cards the days of true frequent flyer upgrades are doomed. The opportunity for upgrades and the perksfor frequent travelers is really changing.

Sad days are ahead for the frequent flyer.

Search Keywords: Delta Airlines, American Airlines, US Airways, Continental Airlines, United Airlines

ROK:BRGR

2011-11-12T21:33:00.001-05:00

This is all you need to know about ROK:BRGR in downtown Ft. Lauderdale.

Good location,
Fully stocked bar,
And great burgers.

Recommendation: Morning Glory. This hefty sandwich is stacked high with lettuce, tomato, onion, a hand packed, airy, perfectly cooked burger patty, two strips of bacon and a sunny side up fried egg. An upgrade of sweet potato fries is worth it, too. Go for the Glory and get extra napkins, you'll need 'em.

looking down

close up

A platter of fried pickles - the only room for improvement, the batter on the pickles.

Burger Memories

2011-09-24T21:39:00.001-04:00

Up until tonight I was tracking all of my burger stops on the right margin of my blog home page. I'm removing all of them and only plan to retain my 'top' cheeseburgers. The ones that never had their own blog posts and pictures somewhere else on my blog are listed here.

301 Bistro - Louisville, KY
Red Coat Tavern - Royal Oak, MI
Ercole's - Manhattan Beach, CA
Cafe Lido at The Lido Beach Resort - Sarasota, FL
Vic & Angelos - Delray Beach, FL
Theater Square Marketplace - Louisville, KY
The Grille on Congress - Boca Raton, FL
Mr. Bartley's - Cambridge, MA
Jack's Old Fashion Hamburger House - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Steak n Shake - Midwest, South, and Southeast, U.S.
Bristol Bar & Grille - Louisville, KY
Jack Fry's - Louisville, KY
Country Pancake House & Restaurant - Lakewood Ranch, FL
Stand - New York, NY
Tobacco Road - Miami, FL
Jaxson's Ice Cream Parlor & Restaurant - Dania Beach, FL
Corner Bistro - New York, NY
The Sports & Social Club - Louisville, KY
Fuddrucker's
IN-N-OUT Burger - CA, NV, UT, and AZ
Kahuna Bar & Grill - Deerfield Beach, FL
R. F. O'Sullivan & Son's - Somerville, MA
Wolfe Burgers - Pasadena, CA
El Cap - St. Petersburg, FL
Kaelin's - Louisville, KY
Ollie's Trolley - Louisville, KY
Red, Hot, & Blue - Irving, Texas
Banana Boat - Boynton Beach, FL
brgr - New York, NY
Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridien - New York, NY
Fairway Sports Bar & Grill - Eastpointe, MI

The Clubhouse Too

2011-09-24T21:14:00.000-04:00

My third stop for the best cheeseburger in the Lansdale, PA area was at The Clubhouse Too and has left me thinking: "Is there a great cheeseburger in this area?" Almost the same as my last two local experiences - mediocre.

This picture was taken after I cut my burger in half. It is actually served with the burger cap off to the side and whole.

Ray's Malt Shop

2011-09-24T20:58:00.002-04:00

Ray's Malt Shop was my second stop on the hunt for the best cheeseburger while I am working in the Lansdale, PA area. It had all the right signs.

A "Malt Shop" sign
A diner appearance
Old school mini juke box music machines at each table

Unfortunately, it didn't pan out. The strawberry milkshake was pretty good, but the burger wasn't really that special. Similar to my last stop in town - nothing wrong, just not really worth going back.

One thing that was stellar was the cheese sauce I asked for for my fries. They don't kid around in the greater Philly area with cheese whiz cheese sauce.

Marquis Cornwallis

2011-09-24T20:42:00.001-04:00

After a long day of sightseeing with my wife and good friend we walked to Marquis Cornwallis while staying at the St. Pancras Renaissance to get something to eat. We came here a couple of days earlier on a similar hunt to fill our stomachs but since the kitchen was already closed we only enjoyed the beer. This time the kitchen was open and I ordered a burger. I was definitely disappointed to learn that all burgers are cooked well done. Too bad I didn't know this before ordering. My friend told me that apparently all beef gets cooked well done to avoid mad cow disease. The lesson learned: don't order beef in London.

Not bad food. But not my style burger.

The Sumney

2011-09-24T19:52:00.002-04:00

My first of my three stops so far in the Lansdale, PA area for a great cheeseburger was at The Sumney on Sumneytown Pike. The hunt must continue. This burger at The Sumney was not bad, but nothing to get the burger fanatics to come out to Lansdale for. As shown, it came with the standard components.

Burger Birthday Cake

2011-07-24T15:59:00.002-04:00

Check out this fantastic burger cake I was given for my birthday! A double cheeseburger and poppy seed bun made of cake accompanied with lettuce, tomato, cheese, pickles, mustard, ketchup, and potato chips made of icing and fondant.

It was completely edible and created by Sabrina of Tutto Dolce.

Tutto Dolce
tuttodolcedesserts@gmail.com

Bikes, bikes and more bikes - Europe Summer 2011

2011-07-24T15:30:00.000-04:00

Pictures of bicycles in Brussels, Amsterdam and London.

A high wheel on display outside of a restaurant in Brussels.

Bikes locked all along a canal bridge in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam. Bikers zipping by on each one-way street, rain or shine. And bike racks always filled everywhere with bikes.

A small Amsterdam street looking at a building wall full of vines with bike after bike locked up along side.

More bikes locked to another canal bridge in Amsterdam.

Another Amsterdam bridge with the same great scene, just different bikes.

Dam Square, Amsterdam. Pedestrians, tourists, locals, pigeons, and of course, bikes.

This VANMOOF brand of bike was interesting that I saw a few times while in Amsterdam. The top tube of the frame appear to have open ends with what appeared to be light fixtures.

Another pile of locked up bikes outside of a string of restaurants in Amsterdam.

A regular site, but one that I wasn't prepared for while trolling the streets of Amsterdam: One bike, two passengers. One driving and one sitting side saddle on the back.

A bike lane in London.

What appeared to be a bike lane warning in London.

(Pictures taken by me summer 2011)

Time: Best Blogs of 2011

2011-06-06T22:11:00.000-04:00

reblog: The Best Blogs of 2011 from Time Magazine

Check it out...lots of good finds here. I was alerted from my favorite burger blog, AHT.

My personal favorites:
A Hamburger Today
The Everywhereist
EDC
Cool Hunting
Get Rich Slowly

Chicago then The Office

2011-05-23T07:37:00.002-04:00

I haven’t been on a burger rampage lately for two main reasons. Mainly because my business travel has been non-existent due to a project that has me working from home and second because I have been try to steer my diet a bit better. This report is on Wishbone in Chicago and The Office in Delray Beach.

Wishbone. I recently traveled to Chicago for a friend’s wedding and decided to work from the local office up there to check it out and to try and meet up with a fellow colleague for lunch. He suggested Wishbone so I tried it out. Wishbone has a few locations and we dined at the one closest to downtown. The burger was okay and came all alone (see picture). The meat appeared to be pattied onsite or very recently, tasty but not an A+ by any means. The highlight of the lunch outside of my new friend was their cornbread.

My wife recently planned a dinner and movie date where dinner was at The Office in Delray Beach. This is a brand new fancy pants place – typically the over top type of place that I like the most, traveling all of the time and being from Boca. If I had a Michelin, Mobil, or AAA checklist this place would have had me checking all of the boxes upon arrival – they specialize in presentation. Presentation with an office envelope holding your silverware, very well dressed servers playing the part, down to a branded burger bun, not to mention the thousands of dollars in upgrades to the restaurant property. But this is where it ended. After waiting for a really long time for our food, my burger was over cooked and the fries were very disappointing. For a burger, fries and two beers it was really quite expensive. I'd sum up the experience as: Presentation, lack of execution. That will probably be the last time at The Office for me.

One other dining place worth mentioning was Portillo’s. I went there twice while I was in Chicago (see above). The first time I had a classic Chicago style [hot] dog on a poppy seed bun with a pickle spear and the second time I had a steak and cheese. Both times I had the fries with a side of cheese sauce that I renamed the lava sauce due to it's temperature and a strawberry shake. Portillo’s is a must when visiting Chicago.

Greetings from Florida

2011-04-02T22:28:00.001-04:00

A fun tourist billboard in central Florida.

Making Michael Michael Scanable

2011-03-26T07:59:00.002-04:00

My new 2D code for my blog. What else is there to say?

Courtesy of RACO Industries

Bar Codes

2011-03-23T08:24:00.000-04:00

Keep an eye out for information on Bar Codes here at Michael Michael. Quite an interesting way to capture, store, and share information. more to come...

Feed me

2011-02-23T22:46:00.000-05:00

Exploring Feed Aggregators.

It appears that Feed aggregators fall into three categories: Desktop, Browser, and Mail client.

Oh yeah, What are Feeds? Not the type of food one would feed to an animal for nourishment either. Feeds are a way of subscribing to something such as a website via its URL. So if you wanted to get updates on a single list from all of your favorite websites, blogs, and news reels you could subsribe to the relevant sites or pull the feed URL and input them into your Feed Aggregator.

Make sense yet? Maybe not. Check out the list of Blogs that I follow off to the right margin of this blog site. Notice how they dynamically change over time and add new items to the top of the list? This is a Feed Aggregator that Blogger provides as an out of the box widget to add onto this blog.

Using a single Feed Aggregator would allow you to pull all of the recent articles, posts, comments, and so on from all of your favorite sites and put them on a single viewable and clickable page. This creates an efficient alternative without having to surf to all of your favorite sites everyday.

A couple of the Feed Aggregators to check out are: FeedDemon & RSS Owl and then of course your browser most likely has this type of functionality as well.

Dangerous

2011-02-12T14:13:00.000-05:00

Unicycles are not easy to ride. A healthy combination of balance, bravery, practice, and continued effort is necessary when learning to ride a unicycle. Be prepared to get hurt along the way. It's obviously not impossible but it isn't even close to riding a bike.

Top 25 burgers

2011-02-02T18:12:00.003-05:00

My friends, family, and co-workers have recently been sending me more 'intel' since I have become more vocal about my addiction to cheeseburgers. What I am about to share is late news if you are a cheesebuger fanatic. Or you can consider it just good food porn re-runs.

The 25 Best Burgers in the U.S. courtesy of delish which is actually a repost of the more infamous Best Burgers in the U.S. courtesy of Food & Wine. I received this first from a co-worker who also prefers a reserved seat when traveling via airplane and then a week later from a work mate from my last stop away from home on my consulting journey in Louisville. And then I saw it again in a different format via A Hamburger Today earlier this week.

I'm happy to say that I have eaten at 5 of these top 25 venues; which are in 4 different states. The list strays a bit from the classic definition of a cheeseburger, but oh well, that's what makes the food world so much more fun.

And BTW...Le Tub is still the king of the hill on my list.

Scheduling Horse Racing

2011-02-02T07:48:00.001-05:00

The Live Horse Racing schedule is back in full swing at Gulfstream Park. The track has been open for a few weeks and one can only find limited information about the Florida Derby. It's such a surprise that most locals don't even know what the Florida Derby is and that some of the top finishers in that $1 Million dollar race will later compete in the heralded Kentucky Derby a few weeks later.

The race this year has been moved from a Saturday to a Sunday. Most likely to stop competing against the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament games. Incidentally the race falls this year on the same weekend as the Final Four. No wonder why it was pinched in between the last 3 games.

The actual Derby race is normally the 10th of 12 races around 6 in the afternoon - see you there.

Please note I have no facts about the day switch, just pure speculation about a gambling facility trying not to compete with another large gambling event.

using your math degree without doing the math

2011-02-01T08:57:00.000-05:00

Are you trying to figure out how to apply your skills as a Mathematician? Do you have a math degree and are not sure what to do next? Not sure if you want to keep doing proofs the rest of your life, become an actuary, or a math teacher?

Then what are you good at?

If you have made it to at least the 3rd or 4th year of an undergraduate Mathematics program one of your top 3 answers is surely: Solving Problems. Right?

Well, where in the real world can you solve problems as a career? The answer is everywhere. Of course there are the 9 to 5ers and operational staff whose jobs are to push the pencil and do routine work. But seriously, the world goes round and round because we are continually solving new and more complex problems.

If you are some form of capitalist and have at least an inkling of figuring out how to make money doing this then you may be wondering where do the premium problem solvers work? There are of course the James Bond type positions one would see in a Hollywood movie - who knows how to land those jobs, probably networking at its best. And then there are the droves of consultants. You'll have to pick the angle you'd prefer: working with organizations to only set strategies, working with groups to execute a plan and show tangible results, coming in after the last consultant left to fix things, or the premiere firms that do all of the above.

Just figure out how to employ your skills with solving problems...at least explore Consulting. Good Luck!

Burger for dinner

2011-01-27T21:12:00.002-05:00

Burger pic from dinner. Two small smashed and blackened Steak 'n Shake style personally ground Chuck patties blanketed with American cheese. Topped with a fried egg plus 3 mini slices of bacon and a few pieces of fresh spinach. Sandwiched between a toasted sesame seed bun.

Me, Myself, and I

2011-01-26T08:59:00.000-05:00

I have been failing my self challenge to not mention myself in my recent blog posts.

After reading a post by Geoff Livingston on 26 December about 'not talking about myself' I agreed and thought, how obvious, but yet I still am floundering. I guess I need to put a sticky note on my computer screen with instructions.

Back to the drawing board. No, or at least less, references to myself.

HERE is a link to the article. You'll probably enjoy it too.

Honeymoon Pics

2011-01-26T08:24:00.002-05:00

I printed out a few snapshots of my wife from our honeymoon this past weekend and have posted them next to my desk. It's turning out that it may have not been the best idea as I continue to reminisce about the wonderful places that we traveled to. I miss those honeymoon destinations and want to go back. After leaving from Detroit last June where we got married we traveled to San Diego and Santa Monica in California, then flew to French Polynesia and hopped from Bora Bora, to Moorea, to Tahiti. And then we finally ended up going home through Hawaii too - story below.

I quickly picked a few images to share. Each has a note below to help identify them.

Bora Bora from the air

Headed to our over water bungalow hotel room via boat shuttle - the Bora Bora Airport is on an island a few miles away from where we stayed.

We rented bikes to get around in Bora Bora - go figure

The over water bungalows at our hotel in Bora Bora

The floor in our room in Moorea

My wife taking a picture of me through our glass floor in Moorea

Looking out from our lunch table in Moorea

A snapshot of the infinity pool at our hotel in Moorea - you can see Tahiti in the background

A pic from the ferry ride from Moorea to Tahiti

Downtown Tahiti - one wouldn't even know they are out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean

The local beer, Hinano, which was good

A little bay adjacent to our over water bungalow room in Tahiti

A picture in meat department at a grocery store in Tahiti - note that it was mostly Tuna and Marlin

Teahupoo Mile Marker 0 - Home of the big surf competition

We also had a crazy experience towards the end. The Tahiti Airport Union workers went on strike the day we were supposed to fly back to the U.S. So we ended up getting stranded in Tahiti five extra days. It sounds glamorous but French Polynesia is probably one of the most expensive places to be and each day was a new episode of trying to find more information about when the airport was going to open back up. All in all it made a great story and we figured out how to handle ourselves really quick, by checking into a cheaper hotel, keeping our rental car, heading to the grocery store, and finding the airport ticket office downtown.

Stats

2011-01-25T18:48:00.001-05:00

I have really been enjoying the 'Stats' feature enhancements included now with Blogger. They serve up stats on all time, monthly, weekly, and daily views. They also provide details on referring sites, origin country, browser and a bunch of other great data points.

My blog doesn't yet follow the best practices of gravitating my articles around a particular topic or area of expertise. But at least I am still chugging along over two an a half years later on posting my public rants and journal type entries. So far I have taken enough time to add 175 posts which have yielded only 71 comments - 10 or more are probably from me.

This is the real stuff though.

I have had over 7,300 total page views. And interestingly enough, roughly 40% were from out of the country. I guess I am not that interesting.
Over 630 of those views have been for a single article. It seems that there are lots of people searching for how to create a Green Email Signature everyday. You can click HERE to see this post I made back on 8 August 2008.
I have had over 500 viewers take a look at the huge burger I had at Genny's Diner. HERE is a link to that post from 13 October 2009.
The next top four posts all have around 250+ page views each. Two of them are on burgers and the other pair are about beach cruisers.

Watson

2011-01-21T07:27:00.003-05:00

In case you haven't seen Watson on the news or have missed the commercials, check out IBM's Watson.

IBM has build a computer with the ability to answer all kinds of questions with an immediate response. Watson is going to be competing on an upcoming Jeopardy! episode to see how capable it really is. Watch some of the videos linked above to see one of IBM's current projects. This illustrates the innovation that is going on and how fast our world is changing right before us.

Julie & Julia - 2011

2011-01-21T07:20:00.001-05:00

I'm not much into new year's resolutions, but I did get re-motivated by watching Julie & Julia last night. I've probably even written this same article before.

I remembered how happy I was the first time I saw this movie and how much I could relate to Julie's experience. Of course, I never have been this involved or passionate with my own blog, but that's the whole thing. I'm going to see what I can do to start authoring more articles, posts, and rants in an effort to carve out a deeper little tiny corner of the internet.

If you haven't Julie & Julia and you are a blogger, get on it. If you haven't seen the movie and you like cooking, rent it. And if you like movies, you will probably enjoy it too.

The SEC does it again

2011-01-11T08:48:00.002-05:00

Congratulations Auburn on the 2010-11 NCAA Football BCS National Championship. There may be a handful of flaws with the BCS system but it says something when 4 different SEC teams have won for the last 5 straight years (and 7 out of the last 13 winners have been from the SEC).

Time to start counting the days down until next football season.

tablet pen

2011-01-03T10:34:00.001-05:00

Search words: tablet pen touch Wacom USB peripheral Bamboo

additional political thoughts

2011-01-02T21:36:00.000-05:00

I tossed a couple of my political ideas into the hot coals of New Year's Eve spent with some great friends. And out came some validation of my thoughts along with a few more ideas to share.

How to Cook 101
Why is Home Economics something I remember from the past and not the highlight of a middle or high school curriculum? Being able to cook and feed yourself should be something that every American is forced to learn as well as a graduation requirement confirming the basic skills necessary to feed themselves. Cooking with a microwave and buying fast food just doesn't count.

And similarly, where have the financial education, basic checking account balancing, and budgeting skills gone? Is this maybe one of the reasons why so many are in debt?

Eliminating Income Taxes
I don't know what rock that I have been under but this idea was great. Changing the way that taxes are collected. Eliminate all income taxes and jack up the sales taxes to bring in the same money. This would allow people to actually keep everything that they earn and tax consumption instead. Illegal foreign workers and those earning unreported cash would all be captured by this approach. Families that produce what they need on their own would barely be taxed while those that continue to buy and waste would start footing the bill.

Note: I am not trying to claim these ideas as original or to be my own. Merely just to talk about them.

Many recent additions to my potted succulent garden

2011-01-02T21:00:00.002-05:00

I received two dozen succulent clippings from my wife as a great Christmas present. Here are the pictures of the clippings as I received them from TheSucculentGarden.etsy.com and my entire collection of potted succulents after I made new homes for all of them.

Made in the USA: Three solid ways to start re-defining America as the Dominant Superpower

2010-12-26T23:19:00.000-05:00

I: Re-Calibrate the Unemployment Benefits Program

Attack the handout attitude and entitlement generation(s) head on. The government needs to stop tacking on additional weeks that unemployment is provided for – pick a duration, whether it is 26, 30, or 40 weeks. Stop creating extensions and just agree on a timeframe. Those that are unemployed will have to finally take other jobs. Regardless of how bad the economy is, there ARE jobs out there. Many of the positions that existed during the last bubble may never exist again. So, why should the rest of the taxpayers pay for the stubbornness of those that are waiting for positions that are not coming back for a very long time or opportunities that they may just be under-qualified for? What ever happened to putting your head down, working hard, and moving up?

The Unemployment Benefits Program that provides money to those out of work should change in the following two major ways:

Community Service

All recipients should be mandated to complete 15 hours or more of community service within the last 28 days. This requirement would be ongoing and recurring to require a new contribution of 15 hours monthly. The time also needs to be reported and signed off to prevent false information, and would be required until they are off of unemployment. Imagine the results and potential turnaround? The current 15 million people that are unemployed would be dedicating 15 hours a month totally over 50 million hours a week to local organizations going forward. The impact would be tremendous! The networking alone would reduce the numbers on unemployment by connecting those looking with leads back into the workforce. And the amount of service that would delivered to all of the good causes…America would genuinely be having a rebirth.

Enforcing mandatory community service would also drastically reduce the number of those that are simply cheating the system or that are just lazy. Think about all of those individuals that are working ‘under the table’ type jobs. It would no longer be as easy to work those non-reported jobs AND donate time. Then there are those that are too lazy. This group would either have to comply and donate their time to benefit their community like everyone else or have to step it up and finally get a job.

For those that are financially de-motivated because collecting their unemployment allocation pays more than jobs they would land – well, at least they are donating their time while trying to ‘beat the system’.

And for those that are legitimately unemployed - is 15 hours a month of volunteering really that awful?

Drug Testing

A real change that needs to be implemented is drug testing. Americans receiving free money to help them while they are unemployed should be drug tested with the same strict tactics of those that have judge sentenced drug testing. Got a problem with that? Don’t take the handout! Violation of civil rights? Too bad.

II: Launch Independence Month

There are currently well over 50 awareness months, weeks, and days that are recognized in the United States. Why not create one more awareness situation to boost our Independence Day, July 4th, with an entire Independence Month? The theme of all of July would be to advocate supporting local businesses and buying goods Made in the USA. This component of recreating American dominance would be by no means a boycott of foreign goods or large organizations, but merely going back to our roots.

One guaranteed way to improve the U.S. economy and create jobs is to buy goods that were designed, created, shipped, and sold here within our borders by other Americans.

There would be no mandate to be absolute with this theme of buying all American - just to take recognition and adjust your decision making process similar to how we do with Breast Cancer Awareness Month or Earth Day. Have Americans think about their decisions, reflect on their history, forecast the futures of their grandchildren, and support the cause for the whole month.

The results would surely be staggering. Americans would eventually change after instilling this behavior amongst family, friends, co-workers, and peers to recognize who and what you are supporting with the purchase of goods and services.

III: Fast Track Approval for Infrastructure Programs

This tactic of the larger initiative to re-establish American dominance would be a bit more challenging. Initiating and fast tracking Infrastructure projects would make our country better as well as providing more jobs. Even though this could be viewed as a temporary solution, the results become building blocks. Not only would people be placed with new jobs to help build out or improve bridges, roads, railways, bus stations, etc.. The areas where travelers will end up in transit would improve over time. Citizens would be able to travel safer and easier from place to place increasing the need for businesses and homes in both destinations: to and from.

These ideas offer solid solutions to accelerate our country back to the top and Americans would be without a doubt more engaged with society after the implementation of these program modifications. Enforcing volunteering would begin to re-install a sense of community pride. Anyone not in agreement with this tradeoff should be embarrassed to participate in the unemployment program. Improving the country’s infrastructure would minimally deliver necessary improvements to our great country. And finally, solidifying the Independence Month & Made in the USA viewpoints will certainly put the right foot forward to getting Americans on the same page to solve our own problem with our economy.

Other Search Words (not mentioned): 99ers, employed, volunteer, check, money, free, Emergency Unemployment Compensation, Extended Benefits, financial crisis, Americans Want to Work, legislation

Reshaping of the Big Ten Confernence

2010-12-26T13:06:00.000-05:00

A little tardy to the party, but reinforcement can only do just that - reinforce the point. The new Big Ten Conference Names and logos stink. Ten or Twenty years ago...fine. But for 2010 and the dollars they probably shelled out, no thanks. The 2010 regular season performance of the NCAA Big Ten football teams really put them back on the map in the BCS conversation. Not the #1 conference but finally the ability to have them in the conversation again.

The new logo

The Big Ten changed their logo from the creative Big Ten title hiding the number Eleven in the negative space in between the letters to the newer two in one "Big" "10" combination. It retains a level of creativity, but added a level problem solving to understand the full logo. No harm for the college graduate audience, but not much of a comparison to the revamped PAC-12 shield that will be going live. Here are some links to more information about the changes: Big Ten Artist comments and Big Ten artwork.

The new divisions

This is the one that demands a revision as the logo will probably grow on the fans. What ever happened to North, South, East, and West groupings? And who possibly came up with Legends and Leaders? Was this some joke towards the teams who are in the Leaders conference? Sure. Leaders is an admiral title to be branded with, but compared to Legends it doesn't really match up. What were these people thinking?

Wheels

2010-11-29T22:55:00.000-05:00

Is it weird that I want a unicycle and a tandem bike for two? I love my cruiser and have been thinking about getting my wife and I a tandem someday. But we are just going to have wait until when have a garage. But more recently, my desire to have a new ride has been trumped by my new curiosity with unicycles.

I'm hoping Santa reads my blog.

Football trips 2010, Alabama & Michigan

2010-11-13T00:09:00.002-05:00

I can already say that I have attended two football games at renowned stadiums even though the NCAA football year is many weeks from over. This year I was able to go to Florida at Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL and Illinois at Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI. Both were awesome adventures to log into my sporting venues journey.

The first game I went to this year was the SEC matchup of the Gators and the Tide. This trip was the 5th for my annual away game crew and the 7th SEC stadium I have been to for a game. Florida got whooped. The final score was 31 - 6 and as far as I was concerned the game ended when we failed to convert for points from within the ten yard line on our first drive . I do have to mention that the tailgaiting experience was the best I have witnessed yet. I thought Ole Miss was going to be tough to beat, but the Quad did it. I am going to leave that a bit open and not compare it to Florida, but there were several great things to talk about.

Below are some pictures from our weekend in Alabama. I recall that this stadium holds 101,000+. Don't quote me and feel free to comment the exact amount at this game or what the stadium holds.

Driving by the front of Bryant-Denny Stadium

Inside looking down from our near top row visitor section seats - at the band.

Again, looking way down.

One of the popular local eateries we went to. Dreamland Bar-B-Que. Apparently this was the original location as compared to the one farther out on the highway.

My order of ribs and beans at Dreamland. I like to talk about food and present my findings here. But I also still try to not say anything if I have nothing good to say. Let's just keep it simple - I won't be headed back to Dreamland if I go back to Tuscaloosa.

This is a picture of our fried pickles from Bottomfeeders. Decent.

My 2nd trip this year was to the University of Michigan while I was up in freezing country visiting my in-laws. Another great venue to hit. Let me explain.

The simpleness of the shape of the Big House doesn't make it feel like it holds 110,000+, but then you realize how close you are to your neighbors in the bleachers and it makes more sense. The stadiums main seating areas are below ground. So it is hard if not impossible to sight the stadium from afar - this has changed a little in the last 2 years due to the significant renovations to the sky box areas (see pics below). I would only rate the noise level at this place as fair. Definitely not overwhelming and arguably poor when you consider the quantity of people in the place. Then again, they were playing Illinois, it was in the low 30's out, and both teams were bringing 3 losses to the table. This matchup resulted in a triple overtime game with a final score of 67 - 65 and the total offensive yards were over 1230 combined. Insane! I believe this was reported as the highest Michigan scoring game against a BigTen opponent.

Here are my pics from that day.

The back of the south endzone sign looking up from the street.

Entering into the stadium gates - the south west corner.

A Hail to the Victors! Memorial, again south west corner.

Looking ahead from our seats.

Some game time action.

A look at the west side sky box (press section).

Another look at the field.

A pic of the east side sky box.

The visitor section. If you look carefully you can actually see Illinois fans.

The attendance for the day: 111,441. This is the largest stadium event I believe that I ever have been to thus far.

One more look at the field.

The final score. It ended by Illinois failing to make the mandatory 3rd OT 2 point conversion. Just Crazy.

Chili

2010-11-11T06:25:00.000-05:00

I entered a family Chili Cookoff last weekend. It was a lot of fun - especially since I have never made my own Chili before. After checking out a few recipes and techniques online, and getting some good tips from my mom, I came up with my very own Chili recipe.

I ended up coming in 2nd (out of 5). The important part is that I actually like the recipe that I created on the fly. Check out a picture of my 'Gameday Chili'. Yes, I took the pic and this was my very own concoction.

Blogs to Follow

2010-11-10T22:52:00.000-05:00

If you are a friend, one of my 2 random blog followers that didn't click the button on accident, or for some reason stumbled to my public journal to graze on the burger food porn....please check out some of the blogs that I follow. I have been recently updating those links and some of these people have a lot of good thoughts to offer - way better than my randomness.

locked up

2010-11-10T22:49:00.000-05:00

What are the things that you would want if you were locked up? I don't plan on being locked up nor can I remember why this came to my mind the other day when I jotted down to make a blog post about it. And of course these have to be things that you could actually have in jail.

My initial answer: several journal notebooks for ideas, thoughts, and drawings. Along with of course some pens.

My mind spins like crazy. In fact I don't even know how I make it to sleep most nights. If I was deprived of the ability to jot down ideas, make drawings, and work through thoughts on paper I would go crazy - crazier that is. Of course a laptop work as well. But I'm sure that wouldn't be allowed and the old school pen and paper does the trick.

4 Burgers

2010-10-10T15:18:00.009-04:00

I finally have taken some time to go through the pictures on my camera from the last few months. Having done that, I can now share burgers pics from 4 different locations. I'll display them oldest first.

First, some pictures from inside the new Shake Shack in Miami Beach. Sorry there are no burger pics. But I figured some of you may be interested in the interior. Especially since the original location has all outdoor seating. No need for further reviews on the Shack burger. I can assure you that it is as good as the one up north. Nice job on consistency guys...

This is a picture of their logo burned into each table that I edited.

The view from the front door.

The cash registers...

The Shake Shack menu on the wall up front.

A wall full of Shack gear.

Another shot of the Shake Shack logo burnt into a table.

A few weeks later I hit my own trifecta by eating at the latest Shake Shack in Saratoga, New York at the Sartoga Springs racetrack. It was a rainy day but we had a great time none the less. The same applies at this location, consistency.

The same logo and outdoor setup as in NYC.

Me enjoying my Shack burger and beer out of the rain.

Later on the tail end of this trip to upstate New York we were flying out of Ithaca. So why not try and get another burger? We tried a spot in the Ithaca Commons called the Mahogany Grill. Let's just keep it simple. Worth the money but nothing to boast about.

A view from across the street.

Table and Menu.

My burger and sweet potato fries.

And the last of the left overs was by far the best. Ray's Hell Burger in Arlington, Virginia. I was in the DC area for work a couple of weeks back and got a hold of some friends I hadn't seen in a while. We decided to all meet up at Ray's - boy was it worth it. Apparently it started years back as a location aside their steakhouse where they ground up unused steak to sell as hamburgers.

An edited picture of their front sign.

The front as we approached.

The inside. Note the world map for patrons to mark their origin.

The counter to order from - Cash Only.

The burger I ordered was perfectly cooked with the outside charred to seal in the medium rare juices. The bun was awesome; it had seeds on both the top and bottom and completed the perfect burger to bun ratio. It was in between a sesame/poppy seed and and everything bagel topping. The menu presented enough options to please nearly any burger fan and I opted to keep it simple with burger plus cheese (white Vermont cheddar). I of course went with the sweet potato fries...

Zeke's

2010-10-07T21:54:00.002-04:00

Zeke's Roadhouse is a great place to people watch in South Beach. It is located right in the heart of Lincoln Road and has the cheapest beer that I know of for this type of selection. They have literally hundreds of beers to pic from that are from all over the world. They sell draft beer, bottled beer, and few basic food items: hot dogs, popcorn, and something else. I believe any beer they sell is now at $4. Make sure each person in your party has their ID.

This is a picture a few months back just before they opened on a Sunday.

And this picture was a few minutes later after they opened.

The Vortex Bar & Grill

2010-10-04T21:35:00.008-04:00

I went on my annual away game trip to Tuscaloosa, AL this past weekend only to watch the Gators get beat pretty bad. Since we were flying back south from Atlanta airport we tried to bring some life back into our deflated weekend by trying out The Vortex, a burger recommendation I received a couple of weeks back.

The guys I was with opted for The Vortex location closer to the airport in Midtown. I bring this up because apparently the other location in the Little 5 area is the original. Upon arrival, this restaurant's character starting shining through right away. The entire inside of the Bar/Restaurant was filled wall to wall with cool signs, souvenirs, antiques, and knick knacks. Not like the layout and assembly that you might find at a T.G.I.Friday's either. The closest place that I can resemble it to is one of the three Barney's Beanery locations in the L.A. area.

I scanned the menu for their burgers and found a whole page long list. You can look up some of the others on their site. I am just going to tell you about my meal: the Coronary Bypass. I was going to go for the regular burger before I scrolled my eyes to the bottom of the menu and located this beast. It came with a half pound tasty sirloin patty, topped with a fried egg, three slices of American cheese, and what looked like 6 pieces of nice bacon. The bun was a sesame seed, with lettuce, tomato, and onion presented on top. I opted for the side of fried plantains and asked them to leave the mayo in the kitchen. I'm sure this may seem a bit weird for some of you a bit farther north, but for me, this is an tasty side often available in the Miami area.

As soon as it arrived I carefully placed the condiments atop the fried bacon and then folded over the bun top in order to get to work. I grabbed for my knife, stabbed the center of the bun, and cut it in half. I stuffed the edge of burger in my mouth immediately instead of wiping the drool from my face. The burger was great. Perfectly cooked, and tasting better than every component that my eyes just ran across.

I am so happy that I followed up on the recent recommendation. The Vortex Bar & Grill is a place I'd recommend as well. It looks like a great watering hole too.

Another Nice Cruiser

2010-09-30T07:28:00.007-04:00

It appears that Giant is still producing their Simple series of Cruisers. When I was shopping a few years back I was told these were discontinued. Apparently they are producing them again. Not only do they look sweet, they are aluminum with 3 piece cranks. You can check them out here.

Matchbox

2010-09-23T17:16:00.002-04:00

I am the DC area for work this week and met up with a friend in the Chinatown area (not much of a town, really just an archway) for dinner at Matchbox. We went there for some pizza and I inquired about the 3.6.9 on the menu and learned that you can order 3, 6, or 9 mini burgers as an appetizer.

The picture I have is horrible as I forgot my camera. But the burgers were awesome. The presentation was really cool with a heaping of onion strings in the middle. Each of the buns was sprinkled on the top with cheese too.

Matchbox was a great spot to meet up and eat.

Theater Square Marketplace

2010-09-23T17:02:00.005-04:00

I had eaten at Theater Square Marktetplace in Louisville, KY a few times but didn't try the burger until recently. Note that I have been sitting on this picture for a few weeks so my commentary is quite short and no longer fresh.

About all that I can report is that the burger, restaurant, presentation, and server were all quality - I do remember that much. A great burger for lunch but not a top 10 in the country or anything to drive to Kentucky for. The place is more of a nice restaurant and far from a burger stand. Quality ingredients and quality staff. Did I mention quality?

These pics are over a month old and were taken from my iPhone.

Habitat for Humanity

2010-09-22T22:40:00.006-04:00

I recently transitioned jobs and during the time in between I was finally able to check something off of one of my 'lists'. I have wanted to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity for some time but just could never fit it in. So I finally did it. I signed up online and helped work on a local house in a Habitat community off of Oakland Park Blvd West.

Here are 2 pics that were taken with my iPhone at the end of the shift.

Me and the Site Manager.

Me and the 2 guys that I worked with.

Here is a link to the local Broward County chapter if you are interested in donating your time. Habitat Broward.

Big 10 or BigTwelve?

2010-09-22T22:20:00.004-04:00

While I was on my honeymoon a few months back some of the more prestigious NCAA football conferences attempted some major adjustments. The PAC10 ended up adding 2 teams and is planning to rename and re-brand their conference so they can finally have a conference championship like the SEC and Big 12.

What I am very curious about is the potential renaming of the BigTen and the Big 12. I bring this up because the BigTen already had 11 teams and has now added one more. So will it now become the BigTwelve? And a bit down south, the Big 12 had twelve teams and now will have 10. Will they then change to the Big 10?

Overall, the changes for the BigTen and the PAC10 should definitely help college football.

Gilbert's 17th Street Grill

2010-08-06T15:00:00.011-04:00

Taking the recommendation of the recent Sun Sentinel Best Burger poll, we went to Gilbert’s 17th Street Grill in Ft. Lauderdale the other night for dinner. Gilbert’s is a bit different from the staple 'best burger' joints one might encounter when traveling around the country. The major differentiator here being the location's age. This is because this Gilbert’s establishment can’t be more than 5 years old; where most other burger classics have 30 years plus on this newborn.

Opening up the door and entering in you quickly realize this is a friendly establishment that probably caters to a busy business lunch crowd. When you complete your order you are given a number to post on your table so the food runners know where to drop your burger baskets off.

We arrived late, 8:30ish, marched right up to the area where the ordering line forms. We studied the menu and then went to the register to place our order. Behind the counter was Mr. Gilbert himself. We didn’t know that at the time, but his caliber of service indicated that this gentleman was probably more than just an order taker and it was confirmed later when we were waiting for our baskets and Mr. Gibert was working the room to make his guests feel more comfortable. During that time he introduced himself. I can’t remember a time in south Florida where someone delivered such premiere service.

I ordered their cheeseburger after salivating by watching the grill. I wanted one of the more deluxe burgers (bleu cheese or bacon) but figured trip #1 should be with the classic. Behind the cash register you could see these heaping burgers scattered all over the grill’s hot surface. They must roll out a sheet of angus meat about an inch thick and then use a round cutter to punch out the patties. I say this because of how loose and large the patties appeared as they were carried to the grill area. I completed my order with sweet potato fries and told the gentleman medium rare when asked about my temp.

A while later our baskets arrived. Mine was cooked pretty much perfect. The outside of my burger was charred to lock in juices. The inside had a cool, completely pink center. This perfect patty had 2 or 3 slices of American cheese tossed on top. These are the fresh kind of deli cheese slices that they probably sliced in the back themselves. Then on the other side of the open face bun was fresh lettuce and tomato. Sitting behind my burger in my basket was a handful of sweet potato fries cut in perfect strips and fried off in brand new oil. I also asked for a side of barbeque sauce to dip my fries in.

I cut my burger in half and worked through it like it was my job. The ingredients Gilbert’s uses are top notch. My cheeseburger could have used some more seasoning. I’m not sure if some salt and pepper would have done the trick or maybe some additional spices. But I knew ahead of time from the Sentinel article that they opt to keep the meat unaltered and not add anything to their Angus.

Overall, great service, good quality food, and a staple location. I’ll be back.

--Note all of these photos were taken with my iPhone. You can click on each of them for a better image.--

Football Season Is Upon Us!

2010-07-28T21:27:00.005-04:00

I have been counting the days until kickoff and my annual away game trip with my friends to Alabama. We are down to 38 as of today. The iPhone app Big Day Lite is making the experience so much easier. Check out this pic of the app on my phone - the swamp and all.

I was looking more into the conference changes today and discovered that the Big Ten will now be the Big Twelve and the Big 12 will now be the Big 10. How weird is that? The logos and potential name changes should be interesting.

Burgers times 3

2010-07-18T20:40:00.030-04:00

I am a little behind on my to do list in every category. So rather than giving a review for each burger I had on my honeymoon separately at a later date, I figured my blog would be better served with a single article and lots of pics rather than waiting any longer.

We hit a semi-landmark burger spot in Ocean Beach (San Diego), California called Hodad's within the first few days after getting married. Then I had the Jimmy Buffet burger in Bora Bora, French Polynesia at Bloody Mary's. And then towards the end I scarfed down the burger at Snack Hinerava in Teahupoo, Tahiti; which was also in French Polynesia.

Hodad's, Ocean Beach, California

Hodad's - from across the street.

Hodad's - cool mural on the west side facing the beach.

Hodad's line nearly around the block.

Hodad's storefront with burger fans everywhere.

Hodad's - the inside.

Hodad's Menu - I ordered the single with Cheese, a strawberry shake, and split an order of onion rings with my new wife.

Us at our table - what a coincidence! I'm originally from New York and she is originally from Michigan (note the plates). We were just sat at the first table available. How cool.

My single with cheese.

Me eating my burger - tasty!

My strawberry shake - tableside.

A Hodad's vehicle outside.

Bloody Mary's, Bora Bora, French Polynesia.

The entrance...

Me and my wife at Bloody Mary's. Note the sand floor...

The restaurant at early lunch time.

My Jimmy Buffet Cheeseburger.

Snack Hinerava, Teahupoo, Tahiti, French Polynesia

Looking at the front of the restaurant towards the Teahupoo waves.

My Burger and Hinano beer.

Mile Marker 0 and the plaque for the annual surf competition.

And...another angle of my burger.

Articles to come...

2010-06-18T00:04:00.001-04:00

Lots of blog posts on their way. From my wedding and honeymoon to the expansion of the PAC-10.

Otto's

2010-05-21T17:25:00.004-04:00

The sign says "Best (1/3 lb.) Burger in Town". I disagree.

Although it had a tasty patty, an quality bun, and fresh toppings it just didn't do it for me. Here is a picture after I cut it in half.

I was surprised when I was not asked what temperature I wanted it cooked. I no longer tell the wait staff how I prefer the meat to be cooked to better get the full restaurant experience. I of course opt for medium-rare if asked, but I am finding there are more places out there that have a predefined temperature for their burgers. These places quickly loose my interest.

Nothing really bad to say except for my fries. Sweet potato and super overcooked in old oil. I didn't send them back because I shouldn't be eating fries anyway. Otto's is just not a top ten burger stop or a reason to boast best in town. Maybe they should modify their marketing to "Great burgers with Tons of choices for toppings." You should check out the Seelbach where Otto's is located though.

Shake Shack no longer MIA

2010-04-30T17:24:00.009-04:00

I was wandering around Lincoln Road in South Beach last weekend waiting to meet up with someone and stumbled into the new location of Shake Shack's restaurant to be. Tucked in off of the north west end of Lincoln Road you can find this store front cooking up. I peaked in the windows and sure enough there appeared to be restaurant equipment - possibly even the grill!

I hope the burgers are as good as the one by the Flat Iron building in Manhattan.

The new Shake Shack location is at 1111 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, FL (North West corner of Lincoln & Lenox).

Man shows of my youth Part I

2010-04-30T16:52:00.004-04:00

I was laying in bed the other night and had to spring up to grab a piece of paper to capture this short list of ideas so that I would not forget them. (Read Notepad post from months back).

Where are the Man shows of today?

When I was younger we had shows like Knight Rider, A-Team, MacGyver, and Airwolf. I thought, and still think, they were motivational and entertaining at the same time. Today's tv stations need to start showing re-runs of these shows. I want to see if I have the same appreciation for them now as I did when I was a kid.

My question is: "What are the shows like this for today's youth?" I can't figure them out. Maybe I don't watch enough tv - which is a good thing. Maybe I am just out of touch? Or maybe they don't exist?

PCH Pitstops from San Diego to Santa Monica???

2010-04-30T16:43:00.004-04:00

**ATTENTION BLOG READERS**

My wife and I will be driving up PCH from San Diego to Santa Monica the first week in June and I would like to get suggestions on a northern route and any great places to stop along the way.

Specifically, I am looking for the best burger stop on the way to Santa Monica and for the route I am curious if it is possible to go up the coast the whole way. If not, where should I plan to get on and off the highways. From looking at maps and understanding how long it takes to travel up AIA on the southeast Florida coast I am estimating 5-6 hours of travel time plus stops. Does that sound about right?

Thanks...

respite

2010-04-20T21:06:00.003-04:00

For the 4 lonely followers that I have...Don't worry, I haven't retired. I have many more things to say, a lot more burgers to eat (and report back on with bad photos with poor lighting), and soon enough I will have killer photos from the fairytale like honeymoon I am going on.

Oh, and for those who have not noticed, AHT ran a bracket contest of burger chains and Five Guys won. Hell yeah! I just don't have it in me to vote for the left coast In-N-Out family. Don't get me wrong, I have tremendous respect for what they offer, but for chains I am a Steak 'n Shake guy first then a newly ordained Five Guys follower.

Back to the honeymoon. I am so excited I can't even begin to tell you. Forget that! I will. We are starting ... this is probably a repeat post, but so what, it's my blog and I can do what I want. I need a Flip camera for our trip. Anyways, we are starting out in San Diego. Reasoning = finish any wedding leftovers in the states and there were no flights on certain days to our real destination. I wanted to go old school and leave the wedding site straight to the honeymoon so we are leaving from Detroit. Instead of brunch we are buying a block of bleacher seats for the Detroit Tigers game. Hell yeah. From San Diego driving up PCH for a one nighter in Santa Monica right by the pier and close enough to LAX for am easy departure to French Polynesia. We are staying in over water bungalows each night - the kind with a partial (actually small section, smaller than my tv) glass floor and our own sun deck to jump into the water and then a ladder back up. The day to day debate at home is who is jumping off first. Can you tell that I am excited? The first island we are venturing to is Bora Bora, then to Moorea, and finally Tahiti.

It could very well be the best vacation for the rest of our lives. If not, it will be a challenge to top.

Uptown Cafe

2010-03-17T23:20:00.005-04:00

I have been so busy lately with Wedding planning, traveling, and work... sorry for the short story but not so sorry as it doesn't really deserve a rave review.

I went to Uptown Cafe a few months back and had a great meal. This time was a bit different.

I went in hoping to order a burger, get in, and get out. This didn't happen. I started with some fried oysters and then got to wait a while for my burger. Let me just keep it simple by saying bland, bland, bland.

This cheeseburger desperately needed some spice or at least some salt and pepper. I'm think the cooks in the back forgot to add something in the meat. The picture was taken with my iPhone in the dark. Good pickle presentation.

Overall, an editable meal that took forever at a fair price. I'd probably give Uptown another try with a burger because my gut tells me that this was just a fluke.

Some recent visits...

2010-02-28T13:19:00.005-05:00

Steve's Pizza
12101 Biscayne Blvd.
North Miami, FL

Burger and Beer Joint
1766 Bay Road
Miami Beach, FL

I posted this a few days back. I don't want to be misleading... I actually didn't even eat at either of these places but wanted to call them out because I stopped in and will be back to both.

B&B was really cool and I went there late night to enjoy some beer. Can't wait to go back.

I stopped by Steve's to pick up some pizza dough to make some pies at home. The dough worked great and their pizza looked even better.

A perfect dinner at Ola

2010-02-16T09:12:00.002-05:00

We had our Valentine's Day dinner at our favorite restaurant in south Florida, Ola in Miami Beach.
Let me tell you, not only is the food awesome, the service is great too. I only wish they would give you more of those great rolls.

We had the lobster ceviche and the Chicharron (spicy fried rock shrimp) along with steak and pork entrees. Everything tasted great, I would eat the Chicharron three times a day.

You have to try it out.

The best news is that Chef Douglas Rodriguez is opening up another restaurant right next door to us at The Village at Gulfstream Park.

Bourbon Steak

2010-02-12T22:43:00.010-05:00

As promised, I am bringing you details on the burger I had at Bourbon Steak in Aventura along with pics.

I ordered the regular all-beef burger from Michael Mina and it was awesome. If you haven't read it somewhere else, you need to know that burgers at Bourbon Steak are only served at the bar and in the lounge. This is a real fancy pants place so apparently burgers are not good enough for the dining area. This is not just another burger basket joint. The only other time I have been to a place with burgers at the bar only was Stage Left. The Bourbon Steak restaurant is located off the hotel lobby at the Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club.

When dining here you must order the fries with your burger, at least for the presentation. They come served on a wooden tray similar to a beer sampler tray except 2 x 3 instead of 5 or 6 long. The fries are in 3 groups in the back - each with a different flavoring starting with a fresh herb mix and ending with a cajun like rub salt. Each stack of duck oil fried classic fries is positioned behind a stainless steel cup of secret sauces - each one tasted great. Like I said, get the fries.

The bar burger menu is formal, a large sheet of paper with other apps, and comes complete with a click board, pencil, and check boxes to select what burger you are going with as well a section to pick what toppings you need. There are a 5 options for burgers: the classic, a turkey burger, a lamburger, a salmon burger, and a veggie burger. I opted for the all-beef classic and my fiance got the lamburger. Perfect for me to be able to taste both.

The wait wasn't that long and we wouldn't have minded waiting longer. Our server kept us topped off with beer while we waited. Burgers here come out speared with a large bamboo stick holding down a long wedge of pickle and a banana pepper. The buns are classic soft sesame seed. And then...

The all beef patty seemed perfectly ground; airy but a heavy man burger at the same time. It reminded me of Miller's except a tad larger and more formal. My choice came topped with cheddar cheese and a pinch of caramelized onions. Not the dose of caramelized onions that make some burgers slippery, but rather just enough for taste tucked below the center of the top bun. My burger came out a perfect medium-rare as requested - sweet.

If there were anything less than great worth reporting it would be that the bottom bun was saturated with all of the burger goodness dripping from my medium rare patty. It was almost soaked but nothing worth complaining about since it stayed in tact in my hands and the burger was cooked perfectly.

Bottom line is that this was one great burger and it won't be my last trip to Bourbon Steak. I'm salivating just writing about it.

Oh... The lamburger. My fiance ruined it by asking for it overcooked. The lamb was great meat with a good taste. I was so stuffed when I got to hers that I can't give the best report.

Add one to the list.

2010-02-03T08:02:00.001-05:00

I found a new top ten cheeseburger - and it's in my backyard. More information to come on Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina.

Bunz

2010-01-20T20:42:00.008-05:00

I tried Bunz today in Louisville on Baxter Ave. The various restaurant reviews online that I found last week spoke about how much better the establishment was compared to the prior eatery so I figured I'd give this burger restaurant a try. I scheduled a lunch appointment with a co-worker and ate there earlier today.

The sign above the joint is appealing and is followed up by the huge menu above the flat top drawing in your attention upon entry. Bunz's menu offers many choices for burgers and a list of free toppings. Upon entry, the woman behind the counter was very friendly and explained our options presenting us with a smaller printed menus. When I asked what I should get, she directed me to the Baxter Ave Burger. I obliged after reading that it came complete with two burgers, cheese, and a fried egg. After my semi-recent endeavor at Genny's, I slimmed down this double and requested it to be a single only.

After a short time, our burgers were served in classic baskets with wax paper atop in an 'Order 'up fashion'. Their presentation was classic and the fries were great. I think all of the salt on my fries won me over. My burger came out medium-well and after being cut in half was dripping with egg yolk - which the woman gave me fair warning about. Either she didn't ask or burgers here are served one temperature only.

I'd go back to Bunz, but with a bigger appetite and get the full deal next time. A good burger, but not on my top ten. Read into that how you'd like.

JimNO's Place

2010-01-10T22:16:00.003-05:00

After reading some recent articles about Jimbo's Place in local publications I had to go check it out for myself. The two articles I read in the Herald talked about the city of Miami trying to run Jimbo out. He's been around forever and it's supposedly one of those local places you have to see. Various movies have been filmed there. And then there was an even more recent article about a fire, but I was so turned off on my inaugural and final visit that I could care less about what happens.

I am a big supporter of local restaurants and bars. And I love drinking beer out of a can. But Jimbo's is something else. If you can find this place you will be able to tell right away that it is special. It's basically something in between a non-functioning campsite, a boat dock, and a dump.

We walked up and were thrown off by the whole situation. There were piles of debris, broken down vehicles, and shacks looking like they were from a Halloween set 20+ years ago waiting to fall over. Thinking back, it was quite shocking that most anything standing didn't fall over previously. As we approached the shack that Jimbo was sitting in front of, people looked at us a bit funny. No one said sit over there, welcome, or anything of the sorts. I knew when we were going there that it was going to be interesting, but not this bad. Then someone standing nearby piped up, "beersinthere." And pointed to a few box coolers inside the door filled with cans of beer and ice. I went in and grabbed for some cans under the $2.50 sign. I walked out and asked who to pay. This man sitting down pulled out a huge wad of cash the size of a fist, collected my money and tried to keep all of the change from the $10 bill I gave him.

This far into the experience was alright. I think we were singled out because we had visibly showered that day and were not one of the 8 locals already present. It was when we chose a place to sit and get a better view that the atmosphere began to really take over. The animals that were walking around really set us off. It didn't look the dogs and cats had been bathed in months. Their presence was followed by fleas and other bugs no one wants any part of.

Let's just wrap up the story by saying we took off shortly after meeting the stray animals. But not before a woman trying to bum my fiance's cigarettes try to get us closer to her Airstream style trailer. The environment seemed to be decaying right in front of us. We couldn't get out of there fast enough.

I can some up Jimbo's for you: dirty and nasty.

You're an IDIOT!

2009-12-22T16:15:00.004-05:00

What are these people thinking? I always thought it was quite straightforward. When you renew your vehicle registration, you receive a new registration sticker in the mail, and then you stick it on top of the one that is about to expire...showing only the most recent and current registration sticker.

Well I guess it isn't so obvious. I have been trying to get some pics for weeks now to show you all what I am referring to, but since I barely drive, I often don't have my camera, and moving vehicles are hard to take snapshots of while driving...here you go.

I have seen up to five registration stickers on a single plate in Florida. Crazy! For anyone who has more than one registration sticker showing, YOU ARE AN IDIOT.

Read the instructions.
Get some common sense.
Stop trying to show off that you paid for your vehicle registration multiple years.

Only in Florida!?

And for your viewing pleasure...

I did a quick alteration to everyone's plates I have displayed to protect their identity...not like I know who they are.

Sweetwater Tavern

2009-12-22T14:25:00.010-05:00

I ate another great burger in the Detroit area this afternoon. Previous memorable experiences I had at Miller's and Red Coat had me ready for a cheeseburger once I landed in town for Christmas break.
We ended up choosing Sweetwater Tavern in downtown Detroit. The selection started off on a positive note with a meter parking spot instead of being forced into the surrounding pay lots. Upon entry we quickly noticed that the establishment allowed smoking throughout but later learned that this was the last 3 weeks before the smoking ban goes live.

I ordered the Sweetwater Burger sporting bacon, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and their special sauce on the side - it also came with fries and a side of coleslaw. The menu boasted of fresh meat daily from somewhere local and I was ready. My plate was served cooked to order with my medium rare burger and fries. I started off cutting it in half and noticed something special about the sesame seed bun's appearance. It was either dipped in butter or oil which was definitely recognizable by the taste.

The cheeseburger was great and only cost 8 or 9 bucks. We also saw signs out front offering a free shuttle to the local sporting venues. Definitely a great spot to revisit.

Getting scores on your mobile phone

2009-12-05T01:04:00.002-05:00

If you are looking for college football scores or any scores for that matter try out m.SI.com. I worked through a few sites during this season and ended up using SI's mobile site at it is easy and quick to navigate and provides you with what you need to know.

If you find a better one, please let me know. This is for regular mobile Internet browsing - not a mobile app.

Interesting coaching situations at the end of the NCAA football 2009 season

2009-12-05T00:20:00.004-05:00

The 2009 NCAA college football is ending with another onslaught of head coaches and schools parting ways. Nearly all of the men so far really didn't have much say in the matter. Before you read any further, please know that this is a mini Bobby Bowden tribute. Yes, I am a Gator fan, but this man deserves it.

So far we have separation between:

Charlie Weis and Notre Dame,
Steve Kragthorpe and Louisville,
Mark Mangino and Kansas,
Bobby Bowden and FSU,
a handful of Georgia Assistants being shipped out,
as well as a list of others from different schools.

I, like many recognize that this is merely a component of the college football business. But this year is starting to stand out. Someone to to step up and speak to the obvious. There can only be so many undefeated and #1 schools every year. I know that you can only be the best by striving to be the best, but recently it seems like expectations are in some cases ridiculous. In my opinion, the schools should let the scenarios play out a bit longer. Let's talk about the 3 biggest names to date: Charlie Weis, Mark Mangino, and Bobby Bowden.

Charlie Weis. Yes, I know every big school wants to be #1. Or, at least in the mix annually. But the way Notre Dame heaps on the pressure is just ridiculous. Not to say a 6 and 6 season should be acceptable, but maybe you are just in a rut right now. Your NBC contract irks me every time I think about it. Join a conference already. Wake up Notre Dame, you are not college football. You are just one of the 100+ teams. Maybe if you joined the Big East and stopped stacking up your schedule you could get back on track.

Mark Mangino. I know little about this situation and can't even tell you Kansas' win loss record. But why is everyone thinking the same thing except those with the decision making power at Kansas...hello, you are a basketball school. Mark was doing a good job.

Maybe I'm getting softer in my older age or maybe I just don't have all of the information the insiders have. Or maybe I have been focusing on the Gators and watching the long overdue Charlie Strong about to get his own squad. But as of tonight I think that at Mark Mangino should have stayed. And as for Notre Dame, it's not just the coach - there is a lot more to it. I know you have a tremendous following domestically. So what. Do you really think bringing in another coach is going to get you in the BCS game within 3 years? You are an educational institution after all. Study the odds, study something, it isn't going to happen. It is going to take some time and more importantly someone to realize that.

This brings us to Bobby Bowden. Yes, if you know me personally you know that I always start my FSU smack talk with something to the matter of FSU being a girls school, since it started as a an all women's college. I put the I hate you act on with the rest of them on game day. However, I still have a lot of respect for the Seminoles even though I am a true Gator fan. Especially for Mr. Bobby Bowden. One could claim he invented football in Florida. He has more wins than any other college football coach except JoePa and numerous consecutive seasons with top 10 teams. I just feel strongly that the man should have had a better exit AND on his terms. If he wanted one more year for the next five years than so be it. There wouldn't be the brand of FSU football without Bobby Bowden.

Thank you Bobby Bowden for what you gave the game and the State of Florida. And I hope you go out for another coaching job and whoop up FSU.

Credit to Whig.com, where this picture was pulled from.

Random Burger Pics

2009-11-10T21:34:00.012-05:00

I recently went through my burger pictures and realized that I had previously not posted a handful of meals. Below are some leftovers that I may have referred to but never posted previously. Enjoy!

First up, Mr. Joe's in Southfield, Michigan. I recall the great sweet potato fries. The burger was okay and came at a very cheap price.

The popcorn they served at Mr. Joe's when you sit down is a nice treat as well.

Miller's Bar in Dearborn, Michigan remains one of my favorites. The things that I remember distinctly are the honor code when paying for your meal. You just walk up to the bar and tell them what you had and they ring it up on an old cash register.

Each burger at Miller's comes to the table in a paper wrapper without a plate. There are stacks of patties ready to go by the bar. And are cooked tens at a time on a flat top. A soft squishy bun and a perfect burger. The exterior of the joint is very plain but well worth the visit.

Christy's in Starkville, Mississippi was supposed to be one of the best burger stops around. I found it mediocre but worth the stop in the small town. You can see here in this out of focus picture that they sure do serve up a classic presentation.

And then there is Jack Fry's. A classic establishment in Louisville, Kentucky. They serve a good burger topped with caramelized onions and mushrooms tucked below the cheese. This is a great place but potentially better visited for steak or a glass of wine.

El Rey de Las Fritas in Little Havana, Miami. I probably will not find another burger like this anywhere else. But I will be back to 8th Street to eat one again. The patty integrates beef with chorizo and is topped with a plethora of shoestring fries sandwiched between Cuban bread. I found this place through A Hamburger Today with an article referencing Food Network's 50 best burgers. Don't forget to try the Materva. This Yerba Mate drink is tasty.

Corner Bistro. A long term burger destination with recognized aficionados. My experience there was not so good, but I'm hoping it was an off day. Here is a shot from the outside when I was in New York and had 2 and half burgers for lunch at Shake Shack, brgr, and then Corner Bistro.

My last pic is from Kingdom. I remember my Kingdom burger to be very good. It came out in a red basket and was prepared pretty much how I would write up my favorite burgers. Condiments, temperature, and bun.

Burger Honorable Mentions

2009-11-03T17:03:00.009-05:00

I took a few minutes today to review the plethora of burger pics I have stockpiled away and again realized I don't yet have a way to categorize burgers not made from ground beef originating from bulls or cows. I still do not intend to add them to my 'rated' list as they are not true hamburgers, but they should not be forgotten.

Bison from Proof

The first worth mentioning is the Bison Burger from Proof on Main in Louisville, Kentucky. This burger is prepared about as close to perfect as could be and if it were chuck or sirloin I'd have to slide someone down from my current top ten. Not sure how high up I'd go, but it would happen.

They serve their bison burger with a slice of Tillamook Cheddar atop sandwiched between a toasted bun illustrating the perfect burger to bun ratio. It is presented sliced in half with a heap of shoestring french fries overflowing from the center of the plate on to the crest of the grill marks on the bun.

I order medium-rare as it is perfectly cooked every time. Pink and jelly-raw in the center and seared on the top and bottom. They provide a fancy orange sauce as a condiment. I have never been sure if I am supposed to spoil the burger with it or use it for the fries. Since I despise ketchup, I dip my potatoes right in 3 or 4 at a time. I forgot to mention the bacon - a smoked hickory flavored bacon that is very crispy if not just overdone - on purpose.

I highly recommend this burger and the restaurant. The hotel that sports this hot night spot of a restaurant/bar looks like a great time as well. It is called 21C. They have a mini art museum in the lobby that always has different exihibits every time I dine there. If you are a man, you must use the men's restroom off of the lobby. You'll know why after you go #1.

Someday I'll get my own pic of their burger. I always just dive in and forget.

Lamb @ Green Street

Another good burger that I had within the last few months was at Green Street in Coconut Grove, FL. I don't remember all the particulars about it except for it being a great lamb Burger and that it made me motivated to try mixing ground lamb into my home creations more often. I do have a pic that I took with my aging smartphone. Enjoy.

A Math Degree

2009-10-28T22:21:00.003-04:00

I ran across an article today about careers that make money due to a math background. I found the topic interesting figuring I have a degree in Mathematics. You can click HERE to check it out for yourself.

One thing they don't talk about at all in the article is how the achievement of a Mathematics degree really teaches one how to think. I probably wouldn't get an advanced calculus or abstract algebra proof near correct if I had to right now, but I sure do approach challenges at work methodically from start to finish.

The article lists 10 money making paths, but they fail to mention that your analytical skills can be applied to various career tracks. If you can make it through 4 years of 3000 and 4000 level math classes you'll definitely come out on top of the pile as far as analyzing problems and coming up with optimal solutions in the workplace.

The Ultimate Gift

2009-10-22T09:43:00.003-04:00

The Ultimate Gift would be South Beach Wine & Food Festival Burger Bash Tickets. Every year the ticket price goes up and the amount of time they sell out in goes down.

This year's general admission is $200. Check out the actual web site yourself for some good burger pics. It appears that they have changed up the competition this year from popular burger joints to top chefs.

I'm trying to save up for my wedding next year so I'll be passing it up again.

Starkville

2009-10-22T07:32:00.002-04:00

I'm headed to Starkville, Mississippi tomorrow to attend the SEC football game this weekend with Florida at Mississippi State. I am really excited to meet up with 5 of my good friends for this road trip and to experience my 6th SEC stadium.

I have already started scouting out burger joints and it looks like Mugshots is on the top of my list.

The Sweet Daddy @ Genny's Diner in Louisville

2009-10-13T22:37:00.010-04:00

Today I accomplished a new feat. Something that I thought was previously not able to be accomplished by my slim 173 pound soaking wet body. I finished an entire Sweet Daddy at Genny's Diner.

Genny's is one of those places that I have said I wanted to go for some time, but previously had not gotten around to it. It is an old school local establishment on Frankfurt Avenue in Louisville, Kentucky. The truth is that I was always unsure of my ability to conquer the burger feast I encountered today so I put off the trip. I made the lunch appointment with a great guy from my work site in Louisville a few weeks back as I know he enjoys burger joints, would potentially cheer me on, and not let me leave there without achieving the goal. Everything worked out and I would probably not have made it to the finish line without him.

This is how it went down...

I looked up the menu this morning to remind myself of what sweetness I was in for. Genny's menu declares that the Sweet Daddy weighs in at 1 1/4 pounds topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and mayo. Cheese is $2.50 extra. I'll come back to the weight of the meat shortly.

We arrived, parked right in front, and snapped a few pics. My colleague encouraged me to get crazy with the pics as he knew what I was in for. We entered, as we learned throughout our dining experience, through the wrong door. I say this because we sat next to the correct entrance and they had one of those super annoying Halloween witch noise makers and it went off for every patron entering the diner. The place was empty when we went in and I asked the young waitress if we could sit wherever we wanted trying to make light of the emptiness.

At certain points in time this place was apparently hopping but was shut down recently due to a fire next door - which is another story. And they no longer serve alcohol, hence, why I dropped the 'Pub' from the name. But, it is obviously back open now. We got our menus, I ordered a lemonade and he ordered a cream soda. We glanced over the menus while waiting for our beverages. Since my order was predetermined - I momentarily tried backing out but circled back rather quickly - he selected the medium 10 oz. burger combo with fries. I ordered the Sweet Daddy solo because I knew I had some work ahead of me and I really don't like fries all that much anyway.

When my monstrosity arrived with a long bamboo skewer spiked down the center I knew it was going to be tough. Seeing pictures online are one thing, but this meat pile was something else. I still think if his was 10 oz, then mine was 30 instead of the advertised 20. The Sweet Daddy comes with 3 burgers stacked with condiments on the top and bottom and a soft bun anchoring it's position. You really need 3 or four hands to work this food for 4. I stuck to my routine and stabbed it with my knife to cut it in half. I added nothing outside of what it came with. I ordered it medium expecting medium to medium-well. My fancy is always medium-rare, but I didn't want to take any chances getting sick while gorging myself. It came out medium-well as expected.

I came out of the gate strong and ate nearly all of the first half with the exception of some lettuce and tomatoes that slipped onto my plate. It was a true challenge to maneuver this beast. I could hold and squeeze it no problem, but fitting it into my mouth was not possible by any means. I worked the stack well without much going anywhere other than my plate or mouth.

The second half came naturally as well. I was feeling good. I eat a lot of cheeseburgers and a lot of food in general. I tried to keep a good pace on the rest but slowed near the end. I cut the remaining second half into a half of it's own and worked most of it with a fork. When I got down to the last piece of patty I debated over and over if I should throw in the towel fearing to be sick at work later. With solid encouragement I ate every last bit of meat. After breaking through and finishing the mission at hand, I continued on with some of the lettuce and tomato scraps since I was in zone. I hate wasting food. I always tease my fiance with: "That (insert animal name) died for you." Most of the time I mean it, I really don't like wasting food.

The moral of the story is that I ate a whole Genny's Diner Sweet Daddy buger. I wouldn't rate the burger on my top ten list, but the experience is one that I will always recall. I don't know if I'll make it back because I already ate enough for three trips and I really believe I had well over 20 ounces of meat. I hope you enjoy the pictures I posted throughout.

Click HERE if you want to see the whole slideshow.

Delayed in ATL

2009-10-12T18:08:00.009-04:00

Here is a snapshot from my morning spent in the Atlanta Airport (ATL).

The rainy weather created a challenging Monday morning travel scenario. Circling around in a holding pattern in order to get in line to land, delayed flights, cancellations, etc... When asked, the gate agent for my connection she said that I missed the door closing by about 4 minutes. I already missed the original departure time and wasn't sure if the time of the monitors was accurate so I didn't bother running. The last time I ran in an airport with my carry-on, laptop bag, and suit I thought I was going to die and it turned out I had about 15 minutes more because there were 10's of people that were late as well. I vowed from then on not to run anymore. I don't think even if I did run today that I would have made it. I walk so fast and I really didn't lose any time through my concourse journey. We'll, I'm off to Louisville for work...

(written at 12:00 pm ET)

Thinkertoys

2009-10-05T07:29:00.003-04:00

It's not always about how fast you solve the problem. Many times it's more important how you apply lessons learned to find the best solution.

Thank you Thinkertoys.

Customer Service - Part 1

2009-09-30T21:39:00.003-04:00

I believe that the more one focuses on customer service and continually en grains service excellence in their daily habits both professionally and personally it will become more natural if it wasn't already. But, this is just picking the low hanging fruit, of course the more you do something the easier it becomes.

For those that think customer service is only for those with a job titled 'customer service' or in a support capacity you are dead wrong. Everyone is in the business of customer service. Whether it be a client from work, your boss, a co-worker, a subordinate, or even your family, one should always be providing the highest level of service that they can. Anything less is simply displaying laziness. If you continue to put the effort in you will be surprised at how others adapt and to see the morale change.

A Consultant must be motivated and hungry with a destination in mind.

2009-09-30T21:23:00.004-04:00

If you've ever looked at my profile, you know that I earn my money as a consultant, specifically in the areas of learning and performance management. My job is very rewarding mainly due to the projects I get put on and of course the great clients I learn from daily. If you are one of those customers surfing the net and have found me...thanks for everything at work.

I thought I'd share a post I put on my work blog hidden behind a firewall. Of course, I'm sure it's worthy of some editing, but it is a blog post after all.

A Consultant must be motivated and hungry with a destination in mind.

After being in the consulting business for a few years I have realized the following:

Verbal and written praise from peers, direct reports, managers, other colleagues, and clients is just as good as a simple pat on the back,
Contract extensions and requests for advice and guidance down the road are the real indications that you are doing your job – the right way,
You are only worth merely a slice of what you are billable for annually, and
As I’ve said for a while now, the true test lies within your ability to continually prepare at least 2 protégés to replace you.

Continued positive feedback from co-workers is nice and accolades from clients might make you feel even better, but all these performance review ‘print-outs’ do is credit you for doing your job. Any consultant should know that if you are not getting positive feedback from clients on a regular basis something is wrong. You shouldn’t need ‘that-a-boys’ to prove you are out there hustling through the airports and burning the midnight oil. Check your demeanor, your actions, and the way you conduct business. By no means should you ever solicit positive feedback. Of course it’s okay to slip in the routine, “why don’t you tell my boss that?” upon receiving deserved compliments. But seriously, you should be setting the bar so high that compliments actually start to diminish and become rarer. A consultant’s above average performance should be routine and expected. If not, maybe you should get a day job.

Customers display their true recognition of your value by continuing to subscribe to your services rather than hiring a contractor or full-timer to do the same work you do for a third the cost. This is the true definition of an appreciated consultant. I think that this spans all industries and continued renewal of services speaks volumes. There aren’t always opportunities to continue projects or just keep your warm body around – that’s understandable. The repeat customers are the payoff though – these are the ones that really trust you to make them shine. However, if you can get the clients you worked with a few years back to call you for advice and guidance, you have really accomplished something. That is the true display of respect and admiration of your work. It won’t come easy, but this should be your goal. You will have to stay in touch yourself. But if you lay the ground work, the stars will a line. Just wait it out and work hard.

For all of the gold diggers and hot heads, come on, really are you serious? You can only be paid some small fraction of what you are being billed for. There is a lot of overhead in running a business. If you can’t get with the program, go work for yourself and join the rat race. Nothing is wrong with the system or working for the man. Continue to add experience and credentials to your resume and put yourself in a position within your company to be billed at a very high rate on great projects. Only then will you be able to make the big bucks. You can make this journey an express train, but it’s a give and take relationship. The give portion lies within being billable since you are the product. If your company is not selling the product how do you expect to get paid? Make it easy for your company and sell yourself and then you can start taking, just don’t get greedy. The money will come.

And finally, put yourself in a position to move up. How else can you move on and work on better projects without having replacements. Try telling one of your customers that loves your work and the relationship you have established that, “Oh, sorry, I have to go and work on this better deal with a more important client.” See how that goes over. You should always be grooming someone to fill your shoes and take your place. In order to continue to grow, work on new projects, new technologies, and pioneer new business you will have to have a replacement. If you don’t set someone up to fill the gap you leave behind you will either become stagnant as an expense for your clients or burn bridges trying to move on without meaning to do so.

I love being a consultant and am passionate about the road ahead. I am eager to land my next opportunity from current, past, or future clients or of course from within. I can’t wait for my next assignments.

Fake Lobster Pizza

2009-09-28T17:44:00.005-04:00

This past weekend I caved to my fiance's continued request for Red Lobster. If you know me, I do not like to dine at chain restaurants, especially the type that the food probably comes frozen and either tastes like crap, isn't good for you, or costs much more than it's worth. I am happy to say that this was only the 3rd Red Lobster experience of my life as far back as I can ever remember. The first being in childhood, and the 2nd being last year in Ft. Lauderdale. During that experience I was presented with a wonderful skewer of shrimp. It was so wonderful that they interlocked two teeny shrimp looking pieces of meat for every one to appear like normal shrimp all the way up the wooden skewers. What a deceitful trick. I lost what little respect I had for the chain that day. Well, that brings me to my story for yesterday.

I wasn't feeling 100% so I opted for a bowl of gumbo and what they were calling a Lobster Pizza. Let me start by giving Red Lobster credit for the picture, upsell by their staff, and actually the taste. It wasn't bad outside of the dripping oil - but that's normal for many pizza pies with certain mozzarella, so I won't complain about that. The issue I have with this appetizer is that they have the audacity to call it Lobster Pizza as if it's real lobster. The description defines it appropriately with Langostino Lobster: "A crisp thin-crust pizza topped with langostino lobster meat, melted mozzarella cheese, fresh tomatoes and sweet basil..." I can't really complain about the price even without real lobster meat since I pay way more than that for tens of other appetizers or dishes elsewhere. It's the Langostino that gets me. I noticed it before ordering and didn't really let it affect my choice. But when I got my flatbread creation I saw a handful of what looked to be crawfish pieces mixed amongst the cheese and tomatoes. I looked it up later and was even more disappointed.

I learned my lesson. AGAIN. I just don't think I will ever completely understand why she loves Red Lobster and Benihana so much, but I'll leave Benihana for another day. I should talk to her parents about it more as there must be some great childhood memories that stand above this fake food.

If you are curious about these Langostino Lobsters click on any of the highlighted words and see for yourself. They are nothing like Maine, Florida, or Pacific lobsters. I just don't want to explain any more and get all worked up about it. I did find it interesting to read about the class action law suit in California against Rubio's on a similiar topic.

When is enough?

2009-09-27T20:01:00.002-04:00

I attended the Florida Gator football game this past weekend in Lexington, Kentucky against the Kentucky Wildcats and I saw the hit that took Tim Tebow out of the game live and then later saw the ambulance drive by with him inside on the way to the hospital. It was a scary sequence of events but not something most of us football fans haven’t seen before. The difference last night was that it was Tim Tebow, our Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, who may now be out for a while. He will most likely be back at the helm for our next game against LSU, but either way, out for a bit – and I am by no means a medical doctor.

We all know that concussions are part of the game of football. One of the ugly parts, but the players understand and choose to take this risk. It’s easy for me to sit here and talk about this type of thing having never actually played a down of organized contact football, but I respect the situation none the less. I bring all of this up because it is going to be interesting to see and hear the commentary the next 2 weeks from the media and other schools regarding whether or not Tebow should have even still been in the game figuring the Gators were up 31-7 in the third quarter and in control of the game.

I think there is a lot more to the situation then people give it credit for. There is of course the primary conversation of whether or not the game was over and then there is the discussion of running up the score. But, I think there is more to it. As far as the game being over, sure Florida was dominating the game, but try and tell either football team that with 20+ minutes left on the clock that the game was over, or the 50,000+ paying fans. Yes, I do think the game was more or less over (where Kentucky couldn’t come back) at the end of the 1st quarter, but there’s more to it than that which I will get to in a minute. As for running up the score, maybe it’s because I’m a Gator fan, I do think it’s okay to score 50-60 points on another NCAA opponent…especially in this specific game against another SEC eastern team. Kentucky is a good squad and is capable of scoring 4 touchdowns of their own. So what am I really trying to say? I guess what I am getting at is that when is it acceptable for a team like Florida to go out there and test lots of their plays? We keep hearing that teams like Florida leave starters in too long, run up the score too high, and the games are more or less over when they are 20-30 points up.

Let’s take a look at the overarching goals at hand. Florida is gunning for another championship, the 3rd in 4 years. So Florida needs more than 15-30 minutes of football to work through their playbook and test out different packages with all of the players. This was only Florida’s 4th game this year. In the first game, Tebow only played into the 2nd quarter. The second game he played into the 3rd quarter. And then Tebow played the whole game against Tennessee, their 3rd opponent. I know Tebow and the other Gator athletes practice quite a bit, but they really need to play 60 minutes to ensure they are prepared for upcoming opponents. I think having an athlete like Tim Tebow in during the middle of the 3rd quarter is completely acceptable when there is a 24 point margin. Yes, it was taking a risk, and yes, this is what will happen sometimes. I’m sure if the exact situation was to present itself again, Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow would do it all over again.

I hope Tim Tebow ‘s head is okay and he is able to quickly to recover from this injury. But, I think the critics really need to look deeper into the situation before criticizing what Florida Football and many other schools are doing to prepare for a title run.

Florida @ Kentucky '09

2009-09-27T19:37:00.003-04:00

I have been working in Louisville, Kentucky every other week for over a year now and made sure to get tickets to this past weekend's NCAA football game with the University of Florida at the University of Kentucky down in Lexington. Below are some of the pictures I took on Saturday. Not the best photography, but something to share. It rained almost all week before and some more the morning of the game. We were lucky during the actual game time to see the sun and not have any rain.

The cloudiness in some of the pics is actually some smoke from a cannon or fireworks.

No more myspace

2009-09-22T21:19:00.002-04:00

Well. It was only a matter of time. I finally pulled the plug on my myspace account. I was a few years late setting one up anyway. I love the idea of social networking, hence this blog site, but the idea of a myspace or facebook doesn't sit well with me for some reason. Both of those mediums are great in concept and work well for millions of others.

One can't beat the ability to keep up with current and past friends and acquaintances the way that those sites provide. I was able to reconnect with several friends from the past which was great, but since I got to a point where I was only checking my site once every 2 weeks or so, just to see if I got mail, I closed the book on it. I know that there are privacy settings and ways to keep non-'friends' out but it's just hard for me to have pics out there on the internet that are no longer mine. As well as a profile that quickly becomes out of date.

I'm sure this sounds a bit weird. Especially since these social sites are now the norm. I am at a point where I want to focus. I want to retain LinkedIn and of course this site, so I made a choice. I'm still on my second cell phone - how odd is that? You should see the beat up thing. It still works, so why change it? What does my smartphone have to do with myspace? Nothing. I guess I'm just tired and rambling.

So, for now it will be Michael Michael and LinkedIn for me.

War Games fans.

2009-09-20T19:59:00.003-04:00

Attention War Games fans. Why didn't anyone tell me?

Apparently there is a new version or remake of War Games and it's called War Games: The Dead Code. It appears to have been out for over a year now - I just happened to catch it on the Sunday Night Movie on The CW while looking for other NFL games on TV. So I guess since it was published in 2008, I must be the last one to know.

I'm not like most youths of my age declaring The Breakfast Club or Ferris Bueller's Day Off as my favorite movies from my adolescence. I always watch War Games whenever it reruns on TV as it defines a fair slice of my interests as a youth and I always enjoy watching him talk to Joshua.

I'd have to say the top 3 movies of my childhood are:
Donald [Duck] in Mathmagic Land,
R.A.D., and
War Games

Headed to Lexington

2009-09-20T19:45:00.005-04:00

Well, the 3rd weekend of college football is over already. Me and the rest of the NCAA football fanatics wait all year for the season and then it just goes by so fast.

Florida pulled through and beat Tennessee as expected but not by the margin that was widely predicted. The upsets came this weekend with Washington over Southern Cal and Florida State beating up on BYU.

I am really looking forward to attending next weekend's Florida game at Commonwealth Stadium against the Kentucky Wildcats as it will be the 5th SEC stadium I get to visit. And I have tickets ahead of time. Having tickets before the day of a Florida game is a rarity for me as they are always so hard to get. Or should I say, how expensive.

I will try to post some pics next week.

Happy Late Birthday to Blogger!

2009-09-09T17:55:00.001-04:00

I noticed the piece of birthday cake on the Blogger logo today and investigated. It turns out it is Blogger's 10th birthday. Happy Birthday Blogger!

NCAA Football Week 1 2009

2009-09-07T10:14:00.003-04:00

There are only 2 more games left to finish off week 1 of college football. Tonight's Labor Day showdown with Miami at Florida State and Cincinnati/Rutgers. With that said it was nice to see the SEC go 11-1 Thursday through Sunday. Our only loss was Oklahoma State beating Georgia.

Football season is back!

I'm an interrupter.

2009-09-06T09:59:00.005-04:00

I often find myself in a situation hearing: "I didn't finish (what I had to say)." I wish I didn't interrupt others so much but at least I recognize the problem and continue to work on it. I have good pockets of time where it doesn't happen regularly and then other days when I get on streaks.

If I had to guess, I'd say it has been going on since nearly middle school. I don't know why I say that it been that long other than I know it's been a while. My pendulum swings between having too much to say and thinking I'll forget my thoughts if I don't jump in the conversation. Sometimes at work I am a real 'pause pouncer'. It's tough sometimes to tell when someone has finished their thoughts or is just pausing for a moment. I normally figure it out too late.

Well, at least I'm working on not interrupting. I'm looking forward to the day when I can say: "I used to do that."

NFL Network is a gift.

2009-08-30T16:17:00.004-04:00

I just recently realized that we now have the NFL Network. Although I really think it is some big tease just for pre-season football, it has been nice. All of last year we did not get NFL Network on tv in my area (south Florida) without paying extra. So I never check the channel. Of course, the first several months when it went from free to pay by channel a couple of years back I used to check hoping it would be back all the time, but not recently. So a few weeks back when my brother from New York was visiting I walked into the living room and saw football on and the NFL logo. I was like, "What. What is this?" And of course he said, "It's NFL Network." Duh.

So there you have it. Comcast is giving us NFL Network again in one of the basic or extended cable packages. I just wish someone told me sooner. Let's just see if it lasts past the first week of the season. Thanks either way Comcast. Football everyday on tv is the best.

Google Voice

2009-08-18T18:22:00.002-04:00

Check out this video if you haven't heard of Google Voice yet...what a concept. My friend introduced it to me at a party in New York City 2 weeks ago. My favorite part was the voice mail translation into text. And then there is of course the ability to screen calls with the masked number.

Sprint Early Termination Fee Decision

2009-08-18T18:00:00.002-04:00

Have you ever had to pay to get out of your cell phone contract? Check out this article regarding a recent settlement for past Sprint customers and early termination of their contracts. How awesome would it be if we, regular citizens with cell phones, no longer had to have 1 or 2 year commitments with wireless providers.

I understand the concept that customers need to help pay for the wireless provider subsidizing the cost of the device over 2 years, but, if you are unhappy with the service then you should be able to get out. Hopefully this will not lead to any increase in monthly costs.

I'm long overdue for a new device and can't wait to take advantage of the 30 day trial period that most wireless providers offer. My problem is that I can't pick between the Apple iPhone and Blackberry Bold.

Check out these sites to get some of your money back if you have had to pay Sprint over the last 10 years some form of Early Termination Fee.

Sprint ETF Settlement Site

Associated Press

2 recent burgers...

2009-08-17T21:14:00.008-04:00

I have been so busy lately that I have a list of blog posts to write up. So, I figured that I'd start with a couple of recent burgers.

The Trainer at The Sports & Social Club in downtown Louisville, Kentucky
I ate at The Sports & Social Club with my friend and we both ordered The Trainer. The Trainer comes with a fried egg, bacon, mushrooms, cheese, red onion, tomato, and lettuce. The burger i was served was cooked as I ordered it, but I can't say the same for my friend's though. Mine tasted pretty good, not a top ten, but worth ordering again. Besides...it's not all the time that you can get a fried egg on top of your burger. Below is a phone camera pic. Here is yet another reason why I should be getting more serious about purchasing a new smart phone.

Cheeseburger at the Stand in New York City
I did not take any pictures at Stand...why bother? Adam Kuban's picture on their home page is enough. I started with a strawberry shake and was quite pleased. I found the straw interesting. It was huge, wide enough to pull up a good size piece of fruit. The cheeseburger was very good. The overall modern yet retro look make you feel like you are at the right place. A painted cow marks the entrance and the open kitchen in back flanks the other end. The staff seems on top of their game. I would note that the presentation is what stands out. Nothing in particular, just consistancy and care put into every plate. A display of quality from the moment of entry to the first bite.

Food

2009-07-29T20:39:00.005-04:00

Sometimes I ponder between my desire to host a cooking show and being a restaurant and hotel evaluator. But then I realize it's just a fun dream. I'd be more or less horrible in front of a camera, so maybe the silent 'shopper' is more for me. Maybe someday.

More about food... I made some really good chicken thighs last week lathered in a chimichurri rub. Have I ever told you how much I love using my cast iron blackening pan? I can't wait to try it again with some herbs that have not been in our cabinet for years. I am also looking forward to trying to make some artichoke fritters. Here is a picture of the ones I had tonight at the Bristol in Louisville. Their appearance and texture is quite similar to conch fritters down my way. The older I get the more I like artichoke.

(sorry about the bad pic from my phone)

KET, the local basic cable type channel has had some interesting old school Julia Childs shows lately. I particularly enjoyed the Emeril episode I say yesterday. He made this huge crawfish boil with shrimp, crawfish, corn, artichoke, garlic, potatoes, asparagus, green onions, and some other goodies. Both Emeril and Julia put a brown paper spread over a table and dumped the edible delight in a pile and went to town.

Interests no longer linked in profiles...

2009-07-27T22:15:00.004-04:00

Unfortunately, the ability to quickly link to other blogs on Blogger with similar interests by going from profile to profile by keywords is currently not working. I can't wait until this is fixed as I like to surf among my fellow "Gator Football" fanatics to see what they are up to.

Here are 2 links providing updates from Blogger.

-1-

-2-

Trust Me

2009-07-27T21:28:00.003-04:00

What happened to Trust Me? I was just starting to get into it a few months ago and now I never see the show on the air anymore. I liked the marketing and advertising education they were providing me.

Hopefully they will make it back to prime time.

Maintaining your PC

2009-07-25T09:36:00.004-04:00

I was talking to a friend over the weekend about their PC not performing very well and we began talking about how to maintain the equipment's performance. My recommendations are in line with what I understand to be generally accepted as best practice. What I do breaks down into about 6 major steps. Here they are...

You can google each of these section titles yourself for more information. This is more or less targeted on what you need to be maintaining and cleaning up regularly.

Browser Temporary Internet Files
Go into your default browser. For that matter, all of your browsers. Navigate into the Tools and Settings and clear or delete you Temporary Internet Files. You should really have this set to delete every time you close the browser or on a regular schedule about every week or so. You can research more information regarding what is stored here on your own. I am not a security expert, so I am not going to make up a list.

Browser Cookies
This is more or less the same as above. You should be deleting these regulary as well. Either every time you close your browser or on a regular schedule. Deleting your cookies can be done from within the Tools and Settings area of your browser as well. If your browser presents the options, you should also remove any history, saved passwords and other web information. If you are thinking, "Why would I want to do this?" Ask yourself, "Do you write the password to your garage door entry pad on your garage door?"

Operating System Updates
You should be checking your Operating System for updates every few months if not a lot sooner. For example, if you are a Windows user, go to the Windows Update site and run the wizard to check for updates.

Antivirus Software Updates
You should be checking your Antivirus company for updates as well.

Third Party Utilities
There are other third party tools to help you clean up your system. CCleaner is a great example.

And if you get really adventourus, investigate all of the programs you have set for startup. This can be found in MSConfig (Go to Run > Command Prompt > msconfig > Startup). But, be really careful as there are lots of items to screw up here.

Keep a note pad close by

2009-07-20T17:13:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite aspects of staying at a hotel is the pad of paper accompanied by a pen somewhere in the room, some places even have two, and my favorite placement is the one closest to the bed.

This personal preference goes back to my college days when classmates and I would always keep paper and a pen by the bedside to help solve theorums. You're thinking...huh? No really, I was a Math major and we used to go crazy trying to solve theorums and come up with solutions to problems all the time and the worst event was when you woke up in the middle of the night with an answer and then went back to sleep without writing it down.

So this is why we started putting a notebook or tablet close by when going to sleep. This way we'd have an immediate opportunity to jot down our thoughts if we woke up. I still incorporate it into my routine especially when I am on the road for work at hotels.

...Or maybe it's because I'm OCD and don't like forgetting things.

SEC Football Stadium Sizes

2009-07-18T15:59:00.006-04:00

***Updated 24 September 2011***

The last post I wrote got me thinking about stadium sizes, particularly the SEC stadiums. After reviewing the sizes of the largest college football stadiums I learned that 4 of the largest 10 (including NFL) are NCAA SEC stadiums as well as 7 out of the top 25. Rankings are based on capacity and not record crowds.

Here are the top 7 SEC stadiums in the top 25 (non-racing). The first number is capacity and the second if noted is largest recorded crowd.
#3 - Neyland Stadium (102,037 / 109,061) - University of Tennessee
#5 - Bryant-Denny Stadium (101,821) - University of Alabama
#9 - Sanford Stadium (92,746) - University of Georgia
#10 - Tigers Stadium (92,542 / 93,039) - Louisiana State University
#12 - Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field (88,548 / 90,907) - University of Florida
#13 - Jordan-Hare Stadium (87,451) - Auburn University
#24 - Williams-Brice Stadium (80,250 / 85,000) - University of South Carolina

Other SEC Stadiums. Same numbers as noted above.
Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium (76,000) - University of Arkansas
Commonwealth Stadium (67,606 / 71,024) - University of Kentucky
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium (60,580 / 62,657) - University of Mississippi
Davis Wade Stadium (55,082) Mississippi State University
Vanderbilt Stadium (39,790) Vanderbilt University

And if you were wondering, here is the list of the top ten:

Other search words: biggest, seats, attendance

Sources:
List of American football stadiums by capacity by wikipedia.org
utsports.com
rolltide.com
georgiadogs.com
lsusports.net
gatorzone.com
auburntigers.com
gamecocksonline.cstv.com
ukathletics.com
olemisssports.com
mstateathletics.com
vucommodores.cstv.com

SEC Homes

2009-07-13T22:06:00.005-04:00

It's a perfect day for a football blog post since there are only 50 days until the first NCAA football game of the 2009 season.

This year should be another great year for me. I have a lot to plan for with an upcoming wedding in May, but I am planning on keeping my weekends full with college football.

I have my annual away game weekend planned with my friends in Starkville, Mississippi. And I am going to add in a weekend in Lexington since I will be working so close in Louisville. Of course it is going to be hard to pass up watching Lane Kiffin and Vols come down to Gainesville.

But the real point of this post is stadiums. I was at a family reunion this past weekend and talked at length to a first cousin once removed about NCAA football as he is a big Alabama fan. Since I learned once again that another SEC team has more than one stadium, I figured I would take the time to review all of the SEC stadiums...mainly because I wasn't fully aware. After doing this research I have realized that the stadium in conversation - Legion Field in Birmingham, AL is only sometimes used for the Iron Bowl.

SEC East
Florida - Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field in Gainesville, FL
Georgia - Sanford Stadium in Athens, GA
Kentucky - Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, KY
South Carolina - Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC
Tennessee - Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, TN
Vanderbilt - Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, TN

SEC West
Alabama - Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL
Arkansas - Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayeteville, AK and War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, AK
Auburn - Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, AL
LSU - Tigers Stadium in Baton Rouge, LA
Mississippi - Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/ Hollingsworth Field in Oxford, MS
Mississippi State - Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field in Starkville, MS

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

2009-07-11T18:35:00.007-04:00

I was back in my home town this weekend for a family reunion and an old snack brought back memories. The day prior to the family reunion we were attending my brother's girlfriend's sister's high school graduation party (I don't know if that is proper language but you should be able to understand the association). Anyway let's get to the story...

This side of the family has been making cupcakes that look like ice cream cones for years. What you do is take regular old school ice cream cones, fill them with cake batter, bake them like cupcakes and let the batter rise and cool. After they sit for a while you add icing - your choice, just pick one that is the color of an ice cream flavor. While the icing is still soft dip them in sprinkles. Wal-lah! You have yourself cupcakes that resemble ice cream cones with sprinkles.

Make them for your kids and have fun.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that we transported them in a cardboard pizza box. Nirchi's pizza is really good square pizza from the Binghamton area if you have never had it.

Is your door open or closed?

2009-07-11T09:00:00.003-04:00

Do you shut the door, leave it open, or even shut it part way when you go into your bedroom or a room in your house? I think it is interesting to watch different people's behavior in this nature. Personally I leave the door open unless I'm changing. Sometimes shutting a door partially, but rarely all the way.

I'm curious if this behavior lines up with distinct personality types? Anyone know? Is this an indication of an attempt to keep people out? Or locking yourself in? I prefer to leave doors open because I think that tells others they are open to come in and there is no privacy required.

I started thinking about this when I stayed at my family's house and recognized all doors being shut except mine when they went to bed.