Friday High Fives (01/27/06)

This week's five items, ideas, and individuals that I am thankful for, appreciate, or admire.

DirectTV in my gym
I've been meaning to include this on the Friday High Fives for a while but it never seemed to make the cut. Over the Christmas holiday (a.k.a. during the 2 weeks off I took from work) my company's gym upgraded their TV's to DirectTV. It replaced the crappy reception via antenna that we had to endure and added to the enjoyment of going across the campus to lift. Now I can rock multiple shows on multiple TVs and get great reception regardless of which machine I am on and not have to be subjected to terrible soaps or crappy judge shows.

Podcasts
I'll have to admit it. I never thought that podcasts would catch on as fast as they did or that the content available at this point would be as varied and good as it is. Given that the public and content producers were a little slow to migrate to the internet, portable audio, Tivo, and personal publishing, I thought that we'd see more maturity in podcasts in terms of delivery and content before a big player would jump in like Apple. It seems like, after all those technologies sunk in, the public and content providers didn't need much coaxing to realize the format's possibilities and start creating tons of content for it.

Calphalon Flat Bottom Wok
A work horse in my kitchen and one of the best gifts I've ever received. I've had it for a little over a year and I couldn't imagine cooking (especially in a kitchen as small as mine) without it. Very versatile, well constructed, and a breeze to clean. Highly recommended.

Lisa Loeb
I almost wrote off the 37 year-old singer songwriter but I happen to mention her to ElShocker last week in passing as a joke and he mentioned that she had a reality show on E! now and that she is still fine. I couldn't believe it but it is true and boy was I wrong. Everyone not my girlfriend click this link now.

Half.com
Getting to and from the bookstore for DePaul is a pain in the ass for me especially since I don't have any classes near either the Lincoln Park or Loop campuses this quarter. So when I made the effort to sell the books that I bought last quarter and found out that I would get roughly $40 for the $200 dollars worth of books that I opened about 4 times total (never actually used in either class) I was a little pissed that I even bothered. Thankfully I was able to dump them on Half.com and took a modest loss on them and purchased this quarter's text (which is used extensively thank god) there also. Easy and painless and the only thing that sucks is Media Mail shipping for text books is always more than what Half charges but given the fact that you can recoup the costs in higher sales price it doesn't matter.

Filed in: fridayhighfives

Quickies - The "I Don't Have A Name Yet" Edition

Wine-Searcher.com is an invaluable tool that'll help you hunt for deals on a specific wine name or vintage.

Stewie Griffin is going to be hosting a podcast at FamilyGuy.com.

Who would have thunk that it would've come to this? "Sisqo has been forced to subside on what he calls, “broke-down boos in dusty-ass drawers.”" I don't know what is funnier, that line or the fact that Sisqo has the nickname of "The Dragon".

Bunch of good links for quotes you can use in presentations etc. (via LifeHacker)

Must see video: Brokeback Top Gun. Hilarious. (via The Intern's Daily Links)

In the Sports Guy's latest column about (yawn) Kobe he drops a line that might be used more than a few times in the coming months as 2006 is chock full of weddings, bachelor parties, and college football games:

"Of course, I was drunk at the time, so this might not have happened the way I remember it. The important thing is that I believe it happened"

Filed in: quickies

Quickies - The "Please, dear God, stop calling it Super Bowl Extra Large" Edition

According to Pro Football Weekly's NFL Whispers the beloved are probably going to let corner Jerry Azumah (solid nickel but is a UFA and fighting hip problems) and safety Mike Green (good EFFING riddance) go and possibly move Peanut to safety and definitely bring in/draft some competition at corner. Sounds good to me.

Very "no-holds barred" and very NSFW audio interview with ex-Pro Bowl G Kevin Gogan.

Kate from Accidental Hedonist has pretty eye opening breakdown of why High Fructose Corn Syrup is so much cheaper than cane sugar. (HINT: tariffs and subsidies) This post stemmed from an estimate that if Coca-Cola had just a 1/10th of a cent increase in sweetener, per serving, it would cost them roughly $122,423,790! Yikes.

Recipe for a very good meatball hero. Make sure you toast your frech bread to make it crunchy on the outside.

Filed in: quickies politics food

Heh. Thoughts to ponder on a Friday.

When the Marcus Vick arrest happened a little while ago the first thing that popped into my mind was that no one could be that stupid. To pull a gun on people at McD's almost immediately after getting dismissed from your college football team and effectively ruining whatever outside chance you had of signing a lucrative an NFL contract was just unfathomable to me. He had to be doing this on purpose almost like he was Monty Brewster. So I figured that I'd send this to the Sports Guy to see what he had to say about it.

Do you think Marcus Vick's arrest for waiving a piece around a fast food joint coming right on the heels of being dismissed from VT is really just an homage to the recently departed Richard Prior and his work in Brewster's Millions except instead of having to spend $30 million dollars and have nothing to show for it you have to ruin your chances of signing a lucrative NFL contract?

Well it didn't make the cut for the latest mailbag but I can't really get mad at him for not including it when it included this gem :

Q: I've been on a four-week bender since my wife went away with our daughter and my two pigs (Boston terriers). I am maxing my Home Equity Line of Credit currently and our house has been uninhabitable for those with toddlers. Having said that, last week I was wasted at a nudie bar ... then went golfing early the next morning ... then drank as much as possible on my friend's boat ... then stuffed my six chins at a cheesy hibachi restaurant ... and then (after 29 cumulative cigarettes in less than 12 hours) capped it all off at Baskin Robbins for a my fat boy special (Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream). Anyway, we see the hottest high school chicks around and get this: One guy we were with tells me I have issues. Puh-lease. Although they may or may not have been 18 ... at what point is it not OK to comment and drool over high school chicks when you are into your early 30s? And, Simmons ... don't lie to me and tell me you and your dirt bag friends are different.
-- Stump, Old Greenwich, Conn.

If they had a Make-A-Wish foundation for adults, that guy just described a basic framework to start crafting a wish from.

image via Deadspin

Filed in: sports movies culture

Friday High Fives (01/20/06)

This week's five items, ideas, and individuals that I am thankful for, appreciate, or admire.

Quiznos' Black Angus on Rosemary Parmesan Bread
Black Angus steak, mozzarella, cheddar, mushrooms, sautéed onions, Honey Bourbon Mustard and Zesty Grille Sauce. Need I say more?

IE Tab Firefox Extension
I am in grad school at Depaul and they have this ridiculous dependence on Internet Explorer, Comedy Central's video clips for some reason do not work in Firefox, and you need IE to run windows update. It isn't a big deal to launch the IE browser, just a minor irk. Thankfully there is the IE Tab extension to make me happy.

Jon Stewart
Thank you for asking difficult questions. It speaks volumes about the fourth estate when the toughest interviews come from a fake news anchor who has credits like Half Baked and Death to Smoochy.

Matt Millen
Thank you for continuing to demonstrate that you have no idea how to run an NFL team. This guy could turn out to be a good head coach but, given your track record, I like my chances of winning the lottery tonight better than you actually making a good decision. I know you are happy to get the hiring of your head coach out of the way. By locking up your guy (who has been a positions coach for his entire career with no coordinator or head coaching experience) you're now freed up to figure out which WR you'd like to draft with the 9th pick in this years draft.

Sur La Table
The Sofa King loves to cook and if you love to cook you love this store. It has everything you possibly could want for your kitchen and the ones in Chicago have great staffs that are very friendly. There have been some grumblings about management being haters due to the firing of an employee for comments made to his blog regarding his post about Rachel Ray's visit to the Lincoln Park store but on the scale of corporate atrocities this doesn't register high enough for a boycott. It is a shame he got dooced but that is why you blog anonymously.

Filed in: fridayhighfives

On Notice: D-Bag Chicago Sports Fans

CUT IT OUT D-BAGS! Stop making our city look like it's filled with a bunch of chumps.

I feel sorry that Antonio Davis is going to have to pay a fine and most likely sit down for a few games. The league is also put in a pinch because it has to find a compromise between sending a clear message to the players that you will get fined and suspended for going into the stands but also has to be sensitive not to look to heavy handed. AD did what most anyone would do, regardless of the circumstances, to standup and protect your family when they are threatened.

Between the Dodger fiasco at Wrigley, the psychopaths shanking people on the southside, and now these clowns messing around with a guy's wife we are starting not only build a reputation but cement one. Do we really want to be lumped in with Cleveland or those asshats in Philly?

ENOUGH!

Update: As you would expect more details came out today about the 22 year old kid who had the confrontation with Kendra Davis. Deadspin has some e-mail accounts that back this up and tell a very different story than AD did after the game last night. Combined with the video footage that ESPN has been showing and the fact that the United Center security let this fan return to his seat without any arrests or charges brought against him and it is quickly looking like all signs are pointing to him being the victim rather than the instigator here. I still stand by the fact that I feel for both AD for doing what he had to do and the league for the same. But c'mon AD, sounds like you need to check your woman. My stance on D-Bag Chicago sports fans remains the same, you're on notice regardless of the circumstances here.

Filed in: onnotice

On Notice: Rodney Harrison

Seriously, you have how many rings? You don't need to talk shit about other teams regardless of how dumb they were.

Filed in: onnotice

New Feed

I am swapping over my feed to FeedBurner. Please update your readers to point here.

Rant/Rave - Diet Black Cherry Vanilla Coke

Rave: Coke finally launched the regular and diet versions of a new flavor at the same time.

Rant: The Diet Black Cherry Vanilla doesn't taste good.

Filed in: brands coca-cola rantrave

SKC Favorite: Modified Living

Loving ModifiedLiving right now. If the site simply posted the rules to their Drunk Off - Man Challenge it would have been a first ballot inductee into the Sofa King Chicago Internets Hall of Fame (coming soon) but no, they weren't satisfied with merely laying down a blueprint for awesomeness. ML has spoofed the Nike warrior campaign(NSFW), regaled us with tales (and pics and video) of bringing a "65 year old woman to a late-night keg session where she raged out until 6 o' clock in the morning", and even have their own self-proclaimed token asian, Killer Mike. As of late they have taken to launching successful internet smear campaigns (no permalink, check the Jan. 5th entry) that have even inspired potentially libelous photoshoppings(definitely NSFW) of the target and promise even more exciting features to come.

Can't wait until they launch TaintPuncher.com

Filed in: awesome favorites funny web

Friday High Fives (01/13/06)

This week's five items, ideas, and individuals that I am thankful for, appreciate, or admire.

Chili
An excellent dish this time of year and so tasty when done well. There are a million different ways to make it so you will never have to get bored with it. My favorites include Turkey Chipotle Chili and Em-dina's secret family recipe.

Three Day Weekends
This year the company I work for is aligning their corporate-wide holidays to match the Federal Government's holidays. This means we get MLK day off on Monday. This day will be used wisely to remember and reflect upon a man's tireless fight for civil rights (and to nurse a hangover from celebrating a Bears win on Sunday).

Panasonic DVP642

This $60 DVD player plays Divx files perfectly and unshackles me from my under powered laptop which chokes on video decoding and my recently departed desktop. Having the ability to play divx files is awesome and lets me keep up on shows I like.

iTunes Library Updater
I am constantly adding to my digital music collection and use iTunes to manage it. This Windows-only utility was exactly what I was looking for to help me keep my collection which is stored on my file server in sync with iTunes. It takes a little while to process large collections but automatically updates your library culling the entries that have been removed or moved and adding any new music it finds in the locations you specified. Very cool.

A.Y.C.D.

The All-You-Can-Drink is the perfect way for young urbanites to drink like kings on a pauper's budget. They are a perfect way to spice up the otherwise dreary post-holiday/pre-opening day doldrums that descend on our fair city every year. Like all things awesome, these come with some drawbacks such as: temporary blindness (usually around the 12-15 drink), you may get drungry, and you could possibly transform into drunkzilla. However, the AYCD doesn't always turn out that way. If you're lucky on some nights you can take the beer taxi back to your place and pull a drunk monkey on your girlfriend. Your mileage may vary.

Filed in: fridayhighfives

Quickies - The "Is it the weekend yet?" Edition

Kettle Foods just announced the finalists of thei Happy Hour Flavor contest. You can order the five different flavors and test them out before you choose. I kinda want to try the Dirty Martini or Buffalo Blue Cheese flavors.

I need to get one of these for my headphones. (both via coolhunting)

The Strokes talk about their new album here. Preliminary thoughts are that First Impressions of the Earth is pretty good in spots and growing on me but I think I am just about the only person that likes Room on Fire the best of the three.

"Mmmmmm...... We can taste each others’ insecurities........." (via ElShocker)

On a more serious, somber note: Really touching Rant/Rave over at craigslist.

Filed in: quickies

Quickies - The "If Chuck Norris were Batman, the only thing he wouldn’t have on his utility belt would be mercy." Edition

Chuck Norris responded to the "Random Facts About" meme that happened to include him. Check out the Vin Diesel and Mr. T facts. They are quite enlightening. (via waxy)

Get your booze on.

If you're a fan of the Cleveland Steamer then check out the Phat Phree where they've taken the time to enumerate some of Ohio's less-known dysfunctional sex acts. (thanks tim)

Nice homage to Paris Hilton's dead and discarded purse dog Tinkerbell. (via boingboing)

Colin Farell's sex tape has surfaced.

Filed in: quickies

You're Dead To Me: Conference USA Refs

This is from one of the funnier forwards I've seen about the blown offsides call from the Outback Bowl and it is as good a time as ever to start a You're Dead To Me section. Apparently Hawkeye Nation is having a tough time coping with it. I hope Ferentz stays or I seriously think the nation will have a huge meltdown.

Filed in: sports cfb hawkeyes yourdeadtome

On Notice

To the ass clown in condo above me that just got a dog and leaves it at home barking all god damn day, consider yourself on notice.

Filed in: onnotice

Bar Debate Fodder: Which sport requires the best technique?

Yesterday night Em-dina and I had a discussion regarding Kyle Orton and quarterbacking in the NFL. She asked why I had such a strong reaction to some dumb ass who called into a local sports talk show and said the reason Orton didn't produce was because the offense wasn't tailored to his strong suits. So outside of the obvious explanation of "the plays being called had nothing to do with Orton throwing incomplete passes to open receivers", we began to talk about how important footwork, ability to read defenses, and mechanics were to being a good quarterback. It also got me thinking about how football in general is really differentiated at the NFL level by mechanics rather than physical ability. How good is your foot work? How good is your pass coverage technique? How well can you shed blocks? Etc. It also got me thinking about which of the major sports places the highest premium on having sound fundamentals in order to succeed. So I ask:

Which sport requires the best technique from its participants in order to be successful?

I look forward to discussing this over drinks tonight but would love to hear from those that can't attend.

Filed in: sports opinion

Friday High Fives (01/06/06)

This week's five items, ideas, and individuals that I am thankful for, appreciate, or admire.

Silver Spoon
Not a traditional Italian cookbook in the sense that it is a collection of recipes that you'll see on Molto Mario but more of a snapshot of 1950's Italian cooking done in the family home. The best thing about this book is that the recipes do not require exotic equipment or cooking techniques and covers a wide variety of foods. This is the perfect cookbook for someone that is just starting to explore cooking and maybe doesn't have extensive culinary skills or an extensive cookbook library.

Arrabiata Sauce
I had Penne Arrabiata for the first time last summer at Club Lucky and was hooked. When I had some time off during the holidays I decided to make my own version of the sauce and, following the traditions of Italian cooking, modified the recipe I got out of Silver Spoon to include a couple Chipotles in Adobo sauce to provide the heat. Yum!

B.Y.O.B.'s
Such a great way to enjoy and explore different wines with different types of foods and not have to worry about getting screwed by a gigantic markup. Having just started drinking wines within the last year or two I am still not really comfortable gambling on wines I am not familiar with off the wine list or able to talk intelligently with a sommelier yet (something to get over in 2006). So BYOB's combined with wine shops like Kafka, Que Syrah, and Howard's and their incredibly helpful staffs allow a wine newbie like myself the opportunity to "kick the tires" on a bunch of different vineyards and varietals affordably.

Rose Bowl
My absolute favorite bowl game. I love the Rose Parade, the history, and the meaning it has to Big Ten schools. I was a little sad to see them move away from the Big Ten vs. Pac 10 match-ups but it was only a matter of time before the Granddaddy of Them All took its place amongst the other elite bowl games in the BCS rota .

Cinnamon Dolce Latte
With the introduction of this flavor for winter season 2006 and coming off the heels of the Pumpkin Spice and Gingerbread lattes, Starbucks officially has me in a death grip.

Filed in: fridayhighfives

Alinea

Alinea
Originally uploaded by chesh2000pro.


This is a pretty nice set of photos of Alinea's winter menu. Check 'em out.

Filed in: restaurants photos alinea

What is and isn't offsides: A Visual Guide

DISCLAIMER: The Sofa King acknowledges the fact that this post is going to come across as sour grapes. Please know that I wasn't really as upset about this call as some others because any team that gives up a blocked punt for a TD, a "pick six", and couldn't establish any kind of running game while failing to shutdown the opposing teams running game doesn't deserve to win the football game.

My good friend PapaGDL sent me a forward he got from his brother with some screen captures from last Monday's Outback Bowl. As Tim points out, the officials did appologize but c'mon. This is pretty damning.

The "Offsides" was the Hawks getting busted when clearly they were onside and the "Not Offsides" was from earlier in the game when the Gators were clearly offsides.

Filed in: sports cfb hawkeyes nothot

Quickies - The I Don't Trust Scandalous Hoes Either Edition

How to order wine and not look like an asshole. (via kottke)

Yup, this is probably me.

Gapers Block Chicago-centric top 10 lists. (last two links via Largehearted Boy)

Did you know about McNugget Numbers?

I know a lot of my friends and family got digital cameras for Christmas. Here are some tips from Lifehacker.

Very old news but new to me. Windows XP Power Toys.

Filed in: quickies