I was just sitting here and realized something quirky.
In 2008 I will turn 43 (born in 1965).
In the summer of 2008, it will mark 25 years since my high school graduation - I was 18 at the time.
In the summer of 2008, it will also mark my 18th wedding anniversary to my wife - I was 25 at the time we were wed.
08 18 25 43 65 - sounds like some lottery numbers I should play next summer, during the last weeks of June through the first week of July. Maybe it's a sign.
Or maybe I just have nothing else to think about right now. ;)
Friday, August 31, 2007
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Two Tasty Dishes
My wife was looking over recipes in magazines (one was Light Cooking, I think) this weekend and pulled out a couple to try.
The first was a rosemary chicken dish we had on Tuesday night. It was really easy to prepare (I watched as she put it together). Here's the full recipe:
Roast Rosemary Chicken and Vegetables
serves 4 total prep time: 40 min
8 small chicken drumsticks (about 1 3/4lb)
4 large red potatoes, each cut in 8 wedges, wedges halved
2 large peppers, cut in 3/4 in. wedges
1 large red oninon, cut in 1/2 in. thick slices
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary or 1 1/2 tsp dried
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1/2 tsp each of salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, cut in half
Serve with: balsamic vinegar to drizzle over chicken and vegetables
1. Position racks to divide oven in thirds. Heat oven to 500F. You'll need 2 rimmed baking sheets lined with nostick foil.
2. Distribute drumsticks, potatoes, peppers and onion evenly between pans. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper and toss to turn and coat.
3. Roast 30 minutes, stirring mixture after 15 minutes, or until chicken is coooked and vegetables are tender.
4. Arrange on platter; add olives.
We swapped out to regular olives and cooked the olives in with everything else.
It was very very tasty and pretty healthy too. I'm not a major vegetable fan but I did enjoy them roasted this way. If you pull off the skin from the drumsticks after they have cooked, it is probably even better for you. I didn't though - I enjoy some good cooked chicken skin every now and again. This was going to the keeper file.
The second dish was a chicken pot pie sort of thing which we had on Wednesday night. This one required a little more preparation work up front. You peel and slice up some regular potatoes and carrots (about a cup of each). Then you chop up a cup of celery. You put all this and some frozen peas and frozen pearl onions into a pot of chicken broth. You also add some chopped up boneless, skinless chicken breasts and let it all boil for a few minutes. You use a slotted spoon and pull all that out of the broth, then add flour and milk (we use skim) to the remaining broth to thicken it up. Sprinkle in some fresh parsley and tyme for flavoring. You then put the meat and vegetables back into the sauce for a few more minutes. Once that is done, you pour it all into a casserole dish and cover the top with a pastry sheet (we got one from the frozen food section but you could make your own if you're that adventurous). Cook the entire disk in the oven at 350 or so until the pastry crust gets golden brown.
Besides all the healthy vegetables and the homemade sauce, the other goodness of this is that there is only one part that is crust - on the top (instead of it being in a full pie shell which increases the crust consumption). I'm a big fan of pot pies and found this dish also very tasty. Our son isn't big on vegetables so he didn't like it much - but the adults sometimes get to overrule when it comes to dinner choices. Again, another keeper.
If anyone wants the exact recipes, let me know and I'll post them up.
The first was a rosemary chicken dish we had on Tuesday night. It was really easy to prepare (I watched as she put it together). Here's the full recipe:
Roast Rosemary Chicken and Vegetables
serves 4 total prep time: 40 min
8 small chicken drumsticks (about 1 3/4lb)
4 large red potatoes, each cut in 8 wedges, wedges halved
2 large peppers, cut in 3/4 in. wedges
1 large red oninon, cut in 1/2 in. thick slices
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary or 1 1/2 tsp dried
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1/2 tsp each of salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, cut in half
Serve with: balsamic vinegar to drizzle over chicken and vegetables
1. Position racks to divide oven in thirds. Heat oven to 500F. You'll need 2 rimmed baking sheets lined with nostick foil.
2. Distribute drumsticks, potatoes, peppers and onion evenly between pans. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper and toss to turn and coat.
3. Roast 30 minutes, stirring mixture after 15 minutes, or until chicken is coooked and vegetables are tender.
4. Arrange on platter; add olives.
We swapped out to regular olives and cooked the olives in with everything else.
It was very very tasty and pretty healthy too. I'm not a major vegetable fan but I did enjoy them roasted this way. If you pull off the skin from the drumsticks after they have cooked, it is probably even better for you. I didn't though - I enjoy some good cooked chicken skin every now and again. This was going to the keeper file.
The second dish was a chicken pot pie sort of thing which we had on Wednesday night. This one required a little more preparation work up front. You peel and slice up some regular potatoes and carrots (about a cup of each). Then you chop up a cup of celery. You put all this and some frozen peas and frozen pearl onions into a pot of chicken broth. You also add some chopped up boneless, skinless chicken breasts and let it all boil for a few minutes. You use a slotted spoon and pull all that out of the broth, then add flour and milk (we use skim) to the remaining broth to thicken it up. Sprinkle in some fresh parsley and tyme for flavoring. You then put the meat and vegetables back into the sauce for a few more minutes. Once that is done, you pour it all into a casserole dish and cover the top with a pastry sheet (we got one from the frozen food section but you could make your own if you're that adventurous). Cook the entire disk in the oven at 350 or so until the pastry crust gets golden brown.
Besides all the healthy vegetables and the homemade sauce, the other goodness of this is that there is only one part that is crust - on the top (instead of it being in a full pie shell which increases the crust consumption). I'm a big fan of pot pies and found this dish also very tasty. Our son isn't big on vegetables so he didn't like it much - but the adults sometimes get to overrule when it comes to dinner choices. Again, another keeper.
If anyone wants the exact recipes, let me know and I'll post them up.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Heroes season 1 DVD
In July of 2006, I had the pleasure of taking my son to the San Diego Comic-Con for his first time. Because I was being a responsible father of a ten year old, I opted out of a number of interesting panel discussions that I would have otherwise went to had I been alone or hanging with my buddies who annually attend the Con as well. One of those panels I skipped was for an upcoming television show debuting on the Fall 2006 season on NBC. I figured the show would probably tank or get cancelled early (as has been my luck with a number of new shows I pick each season).
Boy, was I wrong!
It was maybe a week or so before the September debut that I heard about Heroes again. It was likely in the pages of Entertainment Weekly or something, and what I heard got me curious. Could NBC pull off a show about metahumans (people with super-powers) without it being lame? I remember still another attempt by NBC back in the early 80's called the Misfits of Science - the only good thing to come out of that was the debut of a then-unknown Courtney Cox.
Needless to say, after watching the premiere hour of the show, I was hooked! Heroes was my new weekly obcession. And I wasn't alone - those debut ratings were through the roof. Many were likening the shows format - an ensemble cast with lots of mysteries and unanswered questions - to ABC's Lost. I wouldn't know - I don't watch that show. But, the interesting thing was that the show didn't keep the viewers waiting for answers. We would get them, and then we'd have more questions! It was captivating, exciting, and...oh yeah...it wasn't lame the way the super-powers were worked in. Ordinary people with extraordinary abilities - folks may have tuned in for the powers, but it was the characters that kept us coming back for more: Mr. Bennett and his daughter Clair, Hiro and Ando, Peter and Nathan Petrelli, and of course Sylar!
Even though I caught every episode in the first season, often watching them twice - once during the Monday debut and then replaying the DVRed episode again the following Monday night to refresh myself before the next new hour, this was a must-buy DVD for me. Never a doubt in my mind or a hesitation. This was a keeper and something I know I'll go back to over and over again as the years wear on. For me, it is the perfect mix of story, characters, mood, music (done by Wendy & Lisa, former members of Prince's Revolution band) and more. And having it on DVD will allow me to pause and catch little details I might not have caught the first go-round as well.
My favorite episodes from the season: "Company Man" where we discover the past of Mr. Bennett, and "Five Years Gone" where Hiro and Ando end up in a future gone terribly wrong. Both have a lot of comic book elements to their pacing, framing, etc.
The extras on the DVD are very nice. I'm a big fan of deleted scenes as well as commentary tracks, and this set has quite a few of both (50 deleted scenes!!!). It also contains the original 72 minute pilot episode that was shown at Comic-Con back in 2006 (which I've heard has a lot of elements that changed or were dropped in when converted to the first two hour episodes). So, I get to experience that pilot after missing it the first time around - minus the chattering crowds around me or the smell of the unwashed masses in a large viewing room. Sounds like a win-win to me.
In all, this set will keep me busy until the debut of season 2 on Monday September 24th.
Boy, was I wrong!
It was maybe a week or so before the September debut that I heard about Heroes again. It was likely in the pages of Entertainment Weekly or something, and what I heard got me curious. Could NBC pull off a show about metahumans (people with super-powers) without it being lame? I remember still another attempt by NBC back in the early 80's called the Misfits of Science - the only good thing to come out of that was the debut of a then-unknown Courtney Cox.
Needless to say, after watching the premiere hour of the show, I was hooked! Heroes was my new weekly obcession. And I wasn't alone - those debut ratings were through the roof. Many were likening the shows format - an ensemble cast with lots of mysteries and unanswered questions - to ABC's Lost. I wouldn't know - I don't watch that show. But, the interesting thing was that the show didn't keep the viewers waiting for answers. We would get them, and then we'd have more questions! It was captivating, exciting, and...oh yeah...it wasn't lame the way the super-powers were worked in. Ordinary people with extraordinary abilities - folks may have tuned in for the powers, but it was the characters that kept us coming back for more: Mr. Bennett and his daughter Clair, Hiro and Ando, Peter and Nathan Petrelli, and of course Sylar!
Even though I caught every episode in the first season, often watching them twice - once during the Monday debut and then replaying the DVRed episode again the following Monday night to refresh myself before the next new hour, this was a must-buy DVD for me. Never a doubt in my mind or a hesitation. This was a keeper and something I know I'll go back to over and over again as the years wear on. For me, it is the perfect mix of story, characters, mood, music (done by Wendy & Lisa, former members of Prince's Revolution band) and more. And having it on DVD will allow me to pause and catch little details I might not have caught the first go-round as well.
My favorite episodes from the season: "Company Man" where we discover the past of Mr. Bennett, and "Five Years Gone" where Hiro and Ando end up in a future gone terribly wrong. Both have a lot of comic book elements to their pacing, framing, etc.
The extras on the DVD are very nice. I'm a big fan of deleted scenes as well as commentary tracks, and this set has quite a few of both (50 deleted scenes!!!). It also contains the original 72 minute pilot episode that was shown at Comic-Con back in 2006 (which I've heard has a lot of elements that changed or were dropped in when converted to the first two hour episodes). So, I get to experience that pilot after missing it the first time around - minus the chattering crowds around me or the smell of the unwashed masses in a large viewing room. Sounds like a win-win to me.
In all, this set will keep me busy until the debut of season 2 on Monday September 24th.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Back To Middle (School)
Last Thursday night, we attended the open house at the middle school at which my son begins 7th grade this week. I have to say I'm rather impressed with how they organize things. Each grade level is broken down into multiple "teams" consisting of about 120 kids. The group all share the same four core teachers: one for language arts (English reading), one for math, one for science and one for social studies/writing. All four classrooms are on the same hallway and there are enough lockers on that hall to accommodate all of the kids in the "team". How's that for being really convenient?
My middle school growing up was much more exercise. The building was three floors (instead of the single story spread out school my son will be attending). My locker, if I recall right, was the second floor on the south side of the building (facing 6th Street). Classes were spread out across the various floors: band and chorus were on the first floor on the north side (facing 5th Street), the language arts and art rooms were next to them, the cafeteria was on the eastern side of the first floor (near the front lobby which faced Eagle Street) and the gym was on the western side of that floor (bordering Swan Street), home economics and the shops (wood and metal) were on the south side of the first floor, the academic classes which were grouped by course types were on the second and third floors along with the auditorium.
It wasn't unusual to have to run between classes (during the four minute break between each one) to swap out books at your locker, etc. I noticed in my son's schedule that actually have scheduled in locker-visit time but not between each class. Also, because of the 'team' formation, the entire class members move as a group from one room to the next.
Something else I noted a bit from Thursday's Open House was the locker sizes. The 120 lockers actually layout in two rows along the one wall - upper and lower. So, they're pretty small; my son's lockers are just one section with a couple hooks in the top for hanging your coat and such. I think we'll likely have to try to make some kind of easy-in-easy-out free standing shelf structure to fit into my son's locker so he can organize things a bit (he'd likely just stack it all up in a mess otherwise). The lockers I had in high school usually had a lower shelf, perfect for boots in the winter or to put your gym clothes during spring and fall. There was also a shelf on the top for storing some books. Then you had the center section with hooks for hanging your coat. I am pretty sure it was the same way in middle school, but I can't be 100% sure.
I do remember, though, quite a few of the classes and teachers from my middle school/junior high days. Mr. Scott was a lot of fun for 6th grade social studies, where as Mr. Sweeny's social studies class in 8th grade was one where you needed to be prepared every day (never knew when he'd spring a surprise quiz on us). Mr. Kolodziej gave us a smattering of all the languages in 7th grade before we chose one to concentrate on in 8th grade (I took Spanish with Mrs. Smith). Mr. Banach who taught math was someone my parents knew from the country club, and Mr. Knack always was the teacher for the board games and card games section of activity period. And in music class, I remember doing an art project where I hand drew my own version of the cover of the Marvel KISS comic magazine on a large piece of poster board.
Oh, and last big Middle School memory - the 8th grade talent show at year end. I remember the cheerleader girls and the cool guys doing "Summer Nights" from Grease, Jim Mitchell singing Billy Joel's "My Life" (and getting censored since 8th graders were not allowed to be singing about people sleeping with other people) and one of the girl's singing Meat Loaf's "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad".
My middle school growing up was much more exercise. The building was three floors (instead of the single story spread out school my son will be attending). My locker, if I recall right, was the second floor on the south side of the building (facing 6th Street). Classes were spread out across the various floors: band and chorus were on the first floor on the north side (facing 5th Street), the language arts and art rooms were next to them, the cafeteria was on the eastern side of the first floor (near the front lobby which faced Eagle Street) and the gym was on the western side of that floor (bordering Swan Street), home economics and the shops (wood and metal) were on the south side of the first floor, the academic classes which were grouped by course types were on the second and third floors along with the auditorium.
It wasn't unusual to have to run between classes (during the four minute break between each one) to swap out books at your locker, etc. I noticed in my son's schedule that actually have scheduled in locker-visit time but not between each class. Also, because of the 'team' formation, the entire class members move as a group from one room to the next.
Something else I noted a bit from Thursday's Open House was the locker sizes. The 120 lockers actually layout in two rows along the one wall - upper and lower. So, they're pretty small; my son's lockers are just one section with a couple hooks in the top for hanging your coat and such. I think we'll likely have to try to make some kind of easy-in-easy-out free standing shelf structure to fit into my son's locker so he can organize things a bit (he'd likely just stack it all up in a mess otherwise). The lockers I had in high school usually had a lower shelf, perfect for boots in the winter or to put your gym clothes during spring and fall. There was also a shelf on the top for storing some books. Then you had the center section with hooks for hanging your coat. I am pretty sure it was the same way in middle school, but I can't be 100% sure.
I do remember, though, quite a few of the classes and teachers from my middle school/junior high days. Mr. Scott was a lot of fun for 6th grade social studies, where as Mr. Sweeny's social studies class in 8th grade was one where you needed to be prepared every day (never knew when he'd spring a surprise quiz on us). Mr. Kolodziej gave us a smattering of all the languages in 7th grade before we chose one to concentrate on in 8th grade (I took Spanish with Mrs. Smith). Mr. Banach who taught math was someone my parents knew from the country club, and Mr. Knack always was the teacher for the board games and card games section of activity period. And in music class, I remember doing an art project where I hand drew my own version of the cover of the Marvel KISS comic magazine on a large piece of poster board.
Oh, and last big Middle School memory - the 8th grade talent show at year end. I remember the cheerleader girls and the cool guys doing "Summer Nights" from Grease, Jim Mitchell singing Billy Joel's "My Life" (and getting censored since 8th graders were not allowed to be singing about people sleeping with other people) and one of the girl's singing Meat Loaf's "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad".
Monday, August 27, 2007
Book Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Once again, after eight days and 870 pages, I have completed the fifth book in the Harry Potter series: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Now, my family saw this film a month or so ago, on the night that the seventh and final book was released. Knowing the size of the book versus the length of the film (just over two hours), I knew some stuff had to go by the wayside yet again in order to bring the film to screen. I never realized how much would go by the wayside!
There are quite a few major subplots in the book that are critical to character developement that did not make it into the film. These include key details in the lives of all the Weasleys: Ron, twins Fred and George, Ginny, Percy and the parents. Also, some hold over stuff with Hermoine from the previous book is carried over into this one - but again, dropped totally from the films. The film did not include any of the Quidditch activities from the 5th year, nor did it really emphasize the all-important O.W.L. exams.
I have to say that reading this novel was a pleasure in that so much of it was unspoiled by having seen the film first. Again, I must commend Rowlings as she continues to grow as a writer with this novel. You can see the evolution in her style, in her narrative abilities and her growth of all the characters of this world. You can see her building upon this epic adventure, allowing things to get darker and more serious as the characters age accordingly.
I look forward to starting on the 6th book and then getting to the 7th. My goal is to have both completed by mid-September at the latest.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Comic of the Week (8/22/07)
Not a lot to chose from this week. My comic shop didn't order enough of Green Lantern Corps #15 (hopefully they'll get more next week or the book will go into second printing, given it is part of a hot storyline running back and forth in the Green Lantern titles). JSA Classified #29 really really stunk, IMHO, due to a cliched story arc and very amateur looking artwork (and, oh joy! - it was only part one of three - I just might have to skip the next two issues, even if it risks breaking up the run - it was just that bad!).
Now, to be fair, I haven't read Showcase Presents Wonder Woman vol. 1, a black and white reprint volume the size of a small phone book (over 500 pages), yet - so I can't allow it to qualify. My reprint volumes have been stacking up while I work my way through the Harry Potter novels (that just gives me stuff to look forward to when I'm done).
That leaves me with one book as this week's winner.
Countdown #36 kicks off with an awesome cover of Mary Marvel and Zatanna. For those not in the know, Countdown is a weekly book that follows a number of characters as their storylines criss-cross with the rest of the DC Universe and themselves. Like 52 previously, Countdown is running for a full year - and it's numbering is in reverse as it "counts down" to Final Crisis next May. What made the issue for me is the battle between Mary and Zatanna, two heroines now put at odds. The other fun part of the book was watching the Trickster and the Pied Piper (enemies of the Flash) try to bluff their way out of being held prisoner by Poison Ivy (an enemy of Batman's). Oh, and there is a nice two-page origin recap of the villain who pops up on the last page of the book. Nice touch, DC.
Now, to be fair, I haven't read Showcase Presents Wonder Woman vol. 1, a black and white reprint volume the size of a small phone book (over 500 pages), yet - so I can't allow it to qualify. My reprint volumes have been stacking up while I work my way through the Harry Potter novels (that just gives me stuff to look forward to when I'm done).
That leaves me with one book as this week's winner.
Countdown #36 kicks off with an awesome cover of Mary Marvel and Zatanna. For those not in the know, Countdown is a weekly book that follows a number of characters as their storylines criss-cross with the rest of the DC Universe and themselves. Like 52 previously, Countdown is running for a full year - and it's numbering is in reverse as it "counts down" to Final Crisis next May. What made the issue for me is the battle between Mary and Zatanna, two heroines now put at odds. The other fun part of the book was watching the Trickster and the Pied Piper (enemies of the Flash) try to bluff their way out of being held prisoner by Poison Ivy (an enemy of Batman's). Oh, and there is a nice two-page origin recap of the villain who pops up on the last page of the book. Nice touch, DC.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
It's A Racket
Every business has got its way of making sure they have a way to milk everything they can from a customer.
Our particular exposure to this phenomenom of late happens to be with local musical instrument stores. Here's how they get you.
First, your kid decides he wants to try out for the band. This is a good thing - you want to encourage them to try new things, get involved with something that'll expand their way of thinking in new ways, etc. They also might get involved with kids they hadn't hung out with before and make some new friends.
Then you go to the school and find out the band teacher has a strong preference for certain brand instruments. Now, of course, he can't force you to get instruments from that maker; he can only strongly encourage you to do so - by pointing out that you might have problems finding someone who can do repairs on more generic brands.
So, you go to the music store and find they want to charge quite a bit for the instrument. Sure, you can a similar instrument at stores like Sears, Wal*Mart, Sams, etc. (for a quarter of the price), but those stores only sell the instrument. The music store does maintenance and repairs as well. But, the kicker - they only maintain and repair the brands they sell. That's it. Buy something else and you're on your own. And, if I didn't mention, conveniently they do carry the brand that the band teacher prefers.
If I were a conspiracy theorist I would swear I could smell a kick-back somewhere.
Oh well. As a parent we do what's best for our kids. We may not always like it and may feel like we're caving in on our principles, but we still do what's best for them.
Our particular exposure to this phenomenom of late happens to be with local musical instrument stores. Here's how they get you.
First, your kid decides he wants to try out for the band. This is a good thing - you want to encourage them to try new things, get involved with something that'll expand their way of thinking in new ways, etc. They also might get involved with kids they hadn't hung out with before and make some new friends.
Then you go to the school and find out the band teacher has a strong preference for certain brand instruments. Now, of course, he can't force you to get instruments from that maker; he can only strongly encourage you to do so - by pointing out that you might have problems finding someone who can do repairs on more generic brands.
So, you go to the music store and find they want to charge quite a bit for the instrument. Sure, you can a similar instrument at stores like Sears, Wal*Mart, Sams, etc. (for a quarter of the price), but those stores only sell the instrument. The music store does maintenance and repairs as well. But, the kicker - they only maintain and repair the brands they sell. That's it. Buy something else and you're on your own. And, if I didn't mention, conveniently they do carry the brand that the band teacher prefers.
If I were a conspiracy theorist I would swear I could smell a kick-back somewhere.
Oh well. As a parent we do what's best for our kids. We may not always like it and may feel like we're caving in on our principles, but we still do what's best for them.
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