Our Fabulous Server on the Cruise

A great time on our cruise, but what puts it over the top is the staff that clearly goes the extra effort to provide dinner and a show.

The Inimitable Ron Swanson

Ron Swanson (played by Nick Offerman) in the show Parks and Recreation created perhaps the funniest scene in television history.  After imbibing some Snake Juice, he gets a little happy (the original scene is about five seconds; this vid puts it on an extended loop).

Nuts, Bolts, and Screws

People now refer to it as Chex Mix, but growing up, my mom always called it Nuts, Bolts, and Screws.  You can buy it pre-packaged, but I'm not a big fan of what they mix together, so I like to make my own.  Here's the highfalutin recipe that I use:

Half box of Rice Chex

Half box of Corn Chex

Half box of Wheat Chex

Whole box of Multibran Chex

Half container of cashews from Costco

Half bag of pecans from Costco

Half bag of walnuts from Costco

Quarter container of peanuts from Costco

Half bag of thin pretzel sticks

Two sticks of butter

10 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce (I use French's because it's really cheap)

Three teaspoons of seasoned salt

For a little extra kick, add a tablespoon or two of Tabasco

Get one of those big aluminum pans.  I generally layer the above ingredients, alternating between Chex and nuts (e.g., Rice Chex, then cashews, then Wheat Chex, then peanuts, etc.).  After all the Chex, nuts and pretzels are in the pan, take the two sticks of butter and nuke it in one of those Pyrex measuring cups for 35 to 45 seconds.  In said cup, add in the seasoned salt, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco.   Depending on your taste, you may want to go easier on the sauces and salt; I like it salty, so that's why I add more.  Stir it up.

Slowly pour over your pan of mix, going vertical and horizontal to get the most coverage.  Put the pan in the oven at 250 to 270 degrees for 90 minutes, stirring the mixture every 30 minutes.  

Pretty easy to do.  I generally make two batches (note that the above recipe calls for half-boxes/half-containers).  I rationalize making this because I have lots of nuts in it (you can't spell nutrition without nut!). 

Griffith Observatory, LaLa Land

On a visit to LA, made it up to Griffith Observatory.  The panoramic shot is actually two photos stitched together in Photoshop.  Also made it to In-and-Out Burger, which is apparently the west coast Five Guys.

Portal Fever

Portal was awesome.  Portal 2 was even awesomer.  If you enjoyed either, this short film falls somewhere in between.

New York, NY

Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas, NV

Green Day Makes for a Sunny Day

I've kept up with Green Day since Dookie.  They still rock and they're still awesome.  The drums in Know Your Enemy are fabulous.

You Can Almost Smell the Drakkar Noir

Animotion's Obsession is the epitome of an 80s video - not so attractive singers, a Miami Vice jacket,  nonsensical happenings (at 2:01, there's this bizarre scene with the guitarist and someone in a space suit on the bed of a cheap hotel room), basically the bands only hit, and lots and lots of synth.  Synth goodness, that is.

Fun note:  Astrid Plane is the female lead singer's name.

The Sharif Does Like It

Before Combat Rock, before the armadillo, before the Casbah, before deciding whether to stay or go, the Clash  was the only band that mattered.

Greatest. Song. Ever.

Please to enjoy.

The Greatest Rock Song Never Played on the Radio

I never knew much about Rainbow until VH1 did their 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs (ever!).  I think I may have remembered a reference that Ronnie James Dio was their lead singer at one time, but here, lead singer Graham Bonnet is sublime (the infamous grunt occurs at 2:33).  In the DC area, the "classic rock" station Big 100 chooses to play Tears for Fears "Shout" (???) instead of this rock perfection.

My Wife's on the Cover of a Magazine!

Greatest. Awful. Video. Ever.

Just Because