Work/Life

Friday, where the brain is full.  

Whew, we made it.  It's almost Friday.


You know, that strange day of the week where you compare notes for the upcoming weekend.  Some co-workers love to share their full thoughts on plans that involve Home Depot or grabbing a drink with a friend that is in town for the weekend.

You may have other co-workers that have made plans with you.  Sometimes you fondly dream of future memories that cannot be bottled in after a (long) five day work week.

Yup, Friday.  Come on, you remember Friday.  It is a day like no other.  Even in the name: FRY DAY.  The day in which your brain is completely fried from co-workers, tasks, and projects.

Friday has a certain appeal to me.  Friday is a day to catch up with co-workers.  Ya know, get to know 'em a bit.  Sometimes even the bosses share something awesome (mundane).   The fact is you spend eight hours a day (at least) and 40 hours per week (at least) at work.  No doubt that your personal life will flow into work life.  I'm guilty of it, I share what Significant Other and I are doing on the weekend on a Friday.

And because you are at work so much, your work life defines you as a person.  Right?

Tough call with that one.  You are who you are and that will never change no matter the setting. Professionalism changes (of course) but who you are as a person doesn't.

I bring this subject up because of a recent story I finally had to comment on.  In Boston, a town filled with people crazy about both sports and politics, is man who says that who he is in his personal life has nothing to do with his professional life.

People ask this man, "How can you live two different lives?"

For him, it's simple.  His life outside of work has nothing to do with what he does each night when he does come to work.

Tim Thomas, a man who is two men

Recently, Tim Thomas, the goalie for the Boston Bruins, has made some questionable calls that has me thinking before the eve of my favorite work day.

If you don't know the back story; Tim Thomas refused to come visit the White House in a celebration for his team's Stanley Cup Win.  The President traditionally honors the champions of college and professional sports by inviting the winning team to the White House and showing the team a grand time.  Tim Thomas, out of love for his country, decided that his political views (blaming both left and right) would impede him from having a good time with his team.  It also provided a platform to make a statement about his personal life.




Of course, since this controversial move, he has refused to make comments on a series of Facebook messages which further perpetuates his stance.  You can read these here.

Which brings me to the ultimate question:



Who are we really?


Beyond the psychobabble of a conservative who's dream is to have "Dinner with Glenn Beck" (his views), Timmy brings an interesting component to the daily grind.  Who we are as individuals have a lot to do with the way that you act at work and how you are at home.

Look, our colleagues at work know this better than anyone. When one of my co-workers say they are going to run errands at Home Depot for a project at home this weekend, we (as other co-workers) don't just say, "great, let me know how that works out."

We inquire. We analyze.  We sympathize.  We recognize.

Although Tim Thomas would love to keep separate his work and home life, it's nearly impossible with the statement that he's made.  Especially with the integration of social networks. These mediums have us connected on a level that we never realized existed.

Sorry Tim, I don't agree that you can keep life separate if you decide to make a bold statement about your political views.  

I don't think that you can have two separate personalities.  You are who you are.

Curious to see what other people think about this.  Are you a different person inside/outside of work?

Safe Travels

Yes, this one's about life.  And it's good.  




I promise I won't keep you long.  I just want to tell you about my travels.

A long time ago, when Significant Other and I started dating, she was far away in Massachusetts while I was living in Minnesota.  Every time I went out to visit her, it would be an ordeal.

I would start out with my flight.  And for those of you who don't know my flight travels, I have a serious issue with traveling.  My family has instilled the notion that I need to arrive at the airport 2 hours before my flight.  To be honest, I don't mind showing up a little early and relaxing.  It's nice to get coffee and not rush through security.  I've always been an early flier so this time was no different.

Once I got to the airport I would wait until my flight took off.  I always connected somewhere because without connections, you're paying a price for airline tickets that don't justify the luxury of flying direct.  Just sayin'.  And yes, I just called flying direct a luxury.

I land in Milwaukee (the most common connection), and then I would then wait a little longer.  Sometimes there were bloodys involved in waiting but it would mainly be more food and me making fun of Wisconsin to anyone that would listen.  Another option would be talking to myself which is a common occurrence for individuals in the Milwaukee airport anyway.  Outside of the feces-like smell, my crazy ass fit in ok. (Note: this is not a ringing endorsement for anything in Wisconsin, except for family).

After departing Milwaukee, I would land in Boston.  Significant Other's college was about an hour south of the city so I would have to then take the subway to a commuter rail line.  After getting on the commuter rail line, I would then arrive in downtown Mansfield.  Pretty much worse than Wisconsin.  Just kidding, Wisconsin is far worse.

From there, I would have to wait for this mode of transportation called the Gatra.  This would be a bus driven from Mansfield to Norton, where the college is.  Usually, this guy would be driving.  And the Gatra would only cost one dollar.  Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but I can't trust anything that costs just one dollar.  Have you ever been inside a dollar store?  Do you trust any of those products?  Even Pop (Soda) is more than a dollar these days.  And you're telling me that I'm able to get in a weird short bus that costs a dollar to drive a ways down the road to a different town?  Ya, little odd.

I finally arrive at Significant Other's college and it was all worth it.  I did these trips for a long time.  Clearly, it was important for me to go!

Jump to present day and there is a different type of reality when it comes to traveling.

Since living out in Boston, I travel home to Minnesota to visit my family and friends.  Thankfully, I'm able to get picked up.  And let me tell you I really do appreciate those rides. (Not saying I'm sassy about not getting a ride from Significant Other when visiting her.  It's just the life and times, you know?).

My brother is the one that usually picks me up.  My parents do sometimes, but my brother doesn't mind and we usually go out to lunch and hang out. It's always awesome to travel home and be with family when you step off the plane.

I bring up my travels because of the last time I went home.  I had a flight home and of course my brother was there to pick me up.

We went straight from the airport to a Mongolian BBQ restaurant at 11:30 a.m.  Nothin' better than eating some greased out Mongolian in the late morning to get your stomach going!  Anyway, we sat and talked and caught up.

It made me appreciate how lucky I am to have a great family (it's growing of course) and a great brother.

It's his birthday today.  Just wanted to let you know how much he means to me.  Bro, I can't thank you enough for being you. I certainly lucked out.

Here's what I advise: Many of you have siblings.  Make sure they know your life isn't the same without them.

Happy B-day Bro!

Yes, a post about Tebow

Blogger Note: Remember, every Friday is sports.  I'll try to make this as reader friendly as possible.  This post is an easy one.

Tebow.  That is all.

Tim Tebow is one of the most polarizing figures in American Society today.  But as his legend grows, more is made of him as a person than as a QB.  Can Tebow be a solution at QB?

When I was 14 years old, I remember going out on one of my first dates.  I don't remember much except for the fact I was picked up by her Mom (as all dates were back then).   As we headed to the movie theater for a matinee, I remember closing my eyes and asking whether the All Mighty could give me a sign on how this date would go. I opened my eyes and would not forget the next image I saw.  I saw a hearse driving across the County Road Nine and Rockford Road intersection.

Understand that I am in no way a religious fanatic.  But that day I had to make a choice.  Whether the hearse episode was a supernatural act, or something of pure coincidence.  I decided on the later.  There are some divine occurrences that I do believe in such as fate; however The Dude Upstairs is not going to care about a 14 year old's date that he doesn't even remember to this day.

So when Tebow started blowing up on TV and on the Internet, I had to keep my cool.  His miraculous comebacks and strange stat lines (316, 31.6) were that of coincidences.  Because there is no way The Dude Upstairs is a Broncos fan.

For me, it was important to evaluate Tebow as a QB.  He does bring an worldly element to the game that many people can love/hate.  But can he last as a QB?  I think that since he has played practically a full season, people can make a fair judgment whether he will last.

I know this will shock all of you, but I think that the key factors are there for him to last.  Here's why:

• Tebow is durable.  He has yet to have a serious injury in all levels of football.  Even furthermore, he's an absolute locomotive.  He's like a 4 Loco. Tebow's workouts are legendary and that helps the durability factor.
• Tim Tebow is clutch. Most of the games this year have Tebow leading some type of drive toward the end of the game.  In most (if not all) of those games he has risen to the occasion and has been physically and mentally unbeatable.
• Tim Tebow is confident.  I watched this a couple of times (http://youtu.be/grM2sb7VYSs) and was floored by the fact that he consistently thinks he is going to win each possession, each drive, and each game.
• Tim Tebow is a cash cow.  He has a top selling jersey and his philanthropic efforts make him ridiculously marketable.  He's exciting to watch and brings in new fans to the NFL that never would have watched the games otherwise. 

Because of these four factors, nothing will stop any team, (if the Broncos go a different direction) from starting next season as QB. Although it pains me to make this argument because he does annoy me with his beliefs, he does try to do good all the time. He works on his game and although he has an uphill climb, he will have enough time to get it done.  After all, the guy is a winner. And if he keeps doing that, there's no way he won't be considered a top QB in this league.

Allow me to reintroduce myself

Guess who's back?

Head-Master Guy Blog note: If a blog was a measure of a person, I would be declared dead.  If a blog was a book, this book would have a ton of dust and possibly a spider taking care of spider-babies.  If this blog was a car, it would be a 1988 Pontiac Grand Am with the 8-track player that doesn't work.  If this blog was a fashion, it would be a Cosby Sweater.


Well, the good news is that I can wear Cosby Sweaters whenever I want (and I do), I used to own a 1988 Pontiac Grand Am, I can kill that spider and wipe off the dust, and most importantly this blog needs to live again.  


Sorry I've been away for so long.  Part of my New Years Resolutions was to follow through on things.  This is something that I want to follow through on. The last version of this blog was all over the place, this blog will focus on the things I love the most (outside of Significant Other): sandwiches, sports, and experiences that need to be written about.  This is of course a blog, so take what you will and make sure to spread the word. 


Here's how it will go, each week there will be three postings.  The sandwiches will be on a Monday, because I make Sandwiches on a Monday and there is nothing better to get over a case of the Mondays than eating a delicious made-from-scratch Sandwich.  


Sports will be on a Fridays to compete with Bill Simmons.  I can only hope that my sports blurbs will rival his.  


And somewhere in the middle or after either of these posts will be a post about life. Something that everyone should know: a story, an experience, or a humerous interaction that needs to be explained.


Because I'm so nice (and interestingly enough, quite motivated), I'm setting up a sneak preview of what's to come.  I've got a double sandwich section because it's Monday and you know I be eatin' them sandwiches like whoa up in this. 


Enjoy!


Sandwiches: In two parts

I consider myself to be a lover of sandwiches.  Significant Other and I went on a vacation to Vegas awhile back and there was a restaurant called "Earl of Sandwich."  Upon my insistence, we went every day.  In an effort to spruce up my future sandwich truck that I'll own (dare to dream), I needed to start collecting my best recipes.  I bounced the ideas off of Significant Other and knew that these were secrets that I could not keep from all of you.

Sandwiches can solve world peace. The problem is we haven't found this sandwich yet.  My role here is to find that sandwich, make it, eat it, then share it with all of you.

Here are my latest creations:

The Frisco 
Ingredients:

2 slices of wheat bread (Think the thick stuff, not that weak sauce you find in your local grocery store)
Roast Beef (I like meat so I had a lot of it.  To each their own)
1/4 cup of mushrooms and onions
1 slice of lacy swiss cheese (this exists, go to your grocery story and find it; I recommend Boar's Head).

For the Sauce:

1/4 cup of fat free sour cream
1 Tbs of horseradish
1 tsp of white wine vinegar
2 tsp of dijon mustard (NOT GRAY POUPON. No one likes Gray Poupon http://goo.gl/ixcLh)

Directions:

In a saucepan, saute onions and mushrooms (add crushed garlic if you want but not a ton).  While sauteing vegetables, use an iron skillet to toast the bread lightly on both sides.  Remove bread from iron skillet. Put Roast Beef on iron skillet to warm.  Lay the meat flat as to give the sauteed veggies a bed.  Put sauteed veggies on top of meat and let it warm for a few minutes.  Finally add lacy swiss cheese (should be able to cover both the meat and veggies). While the cheese is melting, spread homemade horseradish on both sides.  Put the meat, veggies, and cheese on the sandwich and serve.  Cut in half and as an option, use BBQ sauce (something mild) as a dipping sauce.

The Monte (with chicken)


Ingredients:

1 Onion Roll
Oven roast Chicken Breast (you can use your own chicken breast,  however, the best sandwiches are made with deli meat, just sayin')
1 Slice of Smoked Gouda
1 Apple (preferably something juicy yet neutral.  Don't go Granny Smith because that will ruin it. Something like a Jazz or Honeycrisp apple would be perfect).
1 Egg
1 Tbs Milk
Some butter (3 tsp)
Some sugar (bout the same)
One shot of Jack Daniels (other shot optional for taking after making this awesome sandwich as celebration)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Set in cookie sheet (or pizza stone if possible) and let that sit and warm up.  Turn on an iron skillet and let that warm up as well.  In a sauce pan, melt butter and add sugar to reduce.  After about a minute you should have a nice base.  Add a slice (generous) of apple and cook in saucepan.  While cooking in saucepan, flambe with Jack (just pour that Jack like it's Saturday Night).  Optional here to have a shot as well.  Flip over to the other side and repeat with a little more Jack.  Let that slice sit.

In a bowl, beat the egg and add milk.  Add salt and pepper if you'd like as well.  Dip the onion roll (cut in half) in egg/milk and put on skillet.  Flip onion roll  to the other side and add oven roast chicken on the skillet. About a minute should pass and chicken should be warm.  Put the chicken, flambe apple and smoked gouda on the sandwich and close it up.  Take the completed sandwich and stick it in the oven for 3 minutes.  The smoked gouda should be melted and you're ready to eat.  Have some deli mustard as an option.  I thought it needed a little spice and the Significant Other thought otherwise.  To each their own.


Pictures to come for each Monday's sandwich edition.


A New Type of Optimism


I make mistakes.  Early in my life, these mistakes were life changing.  Now, these mistakes are just erroneous predictions of sports teams I love.  I can't hide it, I love the Timberwolves.  In a grander scale, I love the NBA but really, I love the Timberwolves.  Some of my best memories of sporting events were early 2000's when I got tossed tickets (thank you Krish) to go see KG play.  His intensity covered the fact that he would have been the best #2 guy on the team.  He wasn't a #1 guy and needed help and we never gave him the extra help he needed.  It took a season of Spree and the Alien to say, "Yes, KG needs help, and he can't do this alone."  The next season, Spree needed to feed his kids and so started the decline of the Timberwolves.

PAY THIS MAN HIS MONEY

So, when Kevin Love, B-Easy, and Darko started playing some inspired ball early last season, I blogged about how much this would be the start of a new era.  Well, it kinda started a new era; but in reality, I gushed about Michael Beasley and Darko for about an hour and I can't have that hour back.  This was my mistake.  This time  I am not making a mistake and the Timberwolves are officially a team to take more seriously than a doormat.

Kevin Love is a top 8 player in the league right now.  The facts are the Timberwolves need to sign him to an extended max deal.  After this priority is set, there needs to be a series of moves to take the Timberwolves to contending for a playoff spot to advancing in the playoffs.  To me, the Timberwolves have four movable pieces that can combine with expiring contracts to make a switch for players.  B-Easy (expiring 2012-2013), Martell (expiring contact plus veteran?), Tolliver (expiring contract), and Wes Johnson.  Basically, the Timberwolves should find a scorer who can handle the ball and be less selfish than one certain player on this team WHO ONLY GOES LEFT.  I'll let you take a guess who that is.  And since the Timberwolves can't trade Darko to save their lives (worst contract on the team), then the Timberwolves should make a play for Andre Iguodala.  His contract is huge, but with so much coming off the books in a couple of years, the Wolves could afford him.  And besides, the most important note is that the team would trade a crappy SF who is selfish and uncoachable for a leader in Andre who scores a ton of points AND plays good defense.

This is my solution.  It all starts with locking up Kevin Love first.  That gives the Timberwolves a range of flexibility to start moving pieces that will add up to one very good player.  My eye is set on Iguodala.

The South End

A Lesson Applied


I'm not going to start off by saying I'm either getting old or don't get out that much.  No; saying that would mean it's true.  What I will say is we don't get out that much.  So when Significant Other and I decided we wanted to paint the town multi-color, we did it because it was time to show ourselves that we were still young and adventurous.

The South End, for those who do not live in Boston, is a quaint area of town.  Nestled in the middle of downtown Boston, it boasts a wide variety of restaurants, bars, and clubs.  Significant Other and I decided that it would be fun to do something I recommend all of you do.  We desired to know our city better, and what better way than to ask the locals.

The plan was this: research our best option for dinner, then let our neighborhood be our guide.

We walked into a local spot called Coda off of Columbus Ave.  We wanted to share meals because we're basically a power couple and power couples share meals.  I would assume when Jay Z and B go out to eat, they share a variety of meals.  We were basically Rap Superstars this particular Saturday night.

We ordered Steak Frites and Grilled Sea Scallops with Couscous.  The meal was the second best thing going (the company was clearly the first).  We also started on a couple of drinks, a Makers Mark Old Fashion for me and a Grapefruit Summer Press for the Significant Other.  It was 50 degrees in January which made the drink quite appropriate for the situation.

At the end of our meal, we had no clue what to do.  So we started our adventure by asking the bar manager where to go.

"We're new around this part of town.  Can you give us a recommendation on where to go next?" I asked with the most Minnesotan accent possible.

"You guys should try the BeeHive.  They have live music and great drinks and food," he replied.

So on we went.  We went to the BeeHive and asked where to go after that.  We stopped at B&G Oyster and asked where to go after that. We stopped at Coppa, which smelled like garbage and we didn't ask anyone there.  But if there was a way to bottle that smell and sell it as the worst smell on Earth, I would.

Finally, we hit Union Bar and Grille.  A fantastic bartender served us up more drinks and we proceeded to the next bar of his recommendation.  So on and so on.

All and all, a fantastic night.  Significant Other was dressed to impress (and she absolutely impressed) and it was great way to explore a part of town where we had no idea where to go next.

I recommend each of you to explore your own town.  Go to an area that you're not familiar with and ask around at each establishment.  I promise you won't be disappointed and you'll find some truly unique spots that you never knew existed.  Don't go into the hood.  There aren't many good establishments there.

Let me know if you guys end up doing this!  Love to hear the results, especially from Minneapolis.

Sir, would you like an upgrade?

Viva

First of all, my sincerest apologizes for being gone too long.  Things come up, I get busy and I forget how much I enjoy talking about whatever.  As my dear friend Adam put it, "you mind as well call it Dvo said."

Point readers.  Thanks gang.  Now, let's get to work.

Significant Other and I debated for a long time about a spring break vacation.  She has some time off for a week in April and was begging to go somewhere.  I was skeptical.  Not only is the Middle East imploding which creates gas prices only Charlie Sheen can afford, but just the sheer planning really up'd my #tigerblood pressure.

Dateline: Boston, about 11 p.m. on a recent Saturday.

Significant Other: We really just need to pick somewhere, everything will be expensive.
Me: I just don't know... I would love to go somewhere however everything is so expensive and there are too many options to narrow it down.

We came together for dinner the next night.  The discussion lasted for hours.  Finally, there is one place in the whole world that provides a nice place to stay with warm weather in April.  And this place has anything that you want to do.  Our eyes lit up and we finally decided:

Las. Vegas.

That's right folks.  The one place in the U.S. where drinking in public is encouraged.  Of course, we're both excited for a host of things.  Significant Other likes the pool options and I personally can't wait to see some Cirque shows.

Although our decision was clear, planning was/is still complicated.  We have a variety of options to stay and we've penciled ourselves in the MGM Grand.  It got great reviews from my parents and the pool seemed to say, "come on in, you're on vacation and you're staying at the MGM GRAND."

$20=Bi-Winning

I started exploring further.  I want this trip to be special but I don't want to break the bank.  Is it possible?  This website thinks so.  Apparently there is a underground secret that runs through Vegas like Charlie Sheen does with briefcases delivered to his house.

Basically when checking into the hotel, slip a twenty between your credit card and driver's license.  Just as the hotel clerk is processing your room, he/she will notice the money.  At that point, you ask for an upgrade.

I looked deeper and there is a ton of different views about this. I'm not sure if I've been kept in the dark (I know, it's called tipping) or if this will get me that much.  Some dude slipped a hotel clerk a $20 and he got the Charlie Sheen suite at Aria (last one with Sheen, promise).  I mean is that for real?

I'll try this in Vegas when I'm there of course.  And I'll clearly make a huge scene whether it works or not.  And if this does work, I'll be sure to use this in other places outside of Vegas.  For instance:

-speeding tickets (officer, no one needs to know about this)
-my boss at work (more vacation days?)
-girlfriend (discount on the cable bill?)
-automotive retailers ($20 for rims?)
-VIP sections of clubs/bars (not paying more than  an ol' Lincoln here)
-library (I buy, not borrow)

We'll see what happens, I'll keep all of you posted.  But either way, I can say I tried it.  And that's like #winning in itself.

A "Harry" situation

Beautiful Fort Wayne, Indiana

Caution: may not be suitable for children or old people with heart conditions.


I'm sure some of you have seen the raging debate that is going on in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  This fairly large city (relative of course) is home to a sacred history.  A traditional midwest town that was settled by the French but eventually grew into a manufacturing haven during the mid-20th century.

As manufacturing was less in demand, the economy in Fort Wayne diversified and became known for its education, healthcare, insurance, defense, and security (according to Wiki).  The city has a thriving economy and has decided to expand.  The city has plans to build a new government center.  The problem?  It didn't have a name.

So what does a great democracy do?  They wanted to hear from the people via this nifty thing called the internet.  Great idea Fort Wayne!  Glad to see you're separating from Cairo.  Let the people have a voice.

And so they did.  This message board displayed the results.

Yes, you saw it right.  The people want to name their new government building after a proud mayor in the 1940's.

His name is Harry Baals.  By the way, I'm not writing a blog just to have confusion of how his last name is pronounced.  It's "balls."


I'll let you chuckle for a second.... ok.  Let's continue. 


Relatives have since pronounced their last name "Bales."  However, the town is a bit.... testy (stole that joke, heard it earlier but had to share) and they want their new government center to be named the Harry Baals Government Center.

However, the Deputy Mayor has already said that the name is a no go. I completely understand that.  The issue arises when you give your people the power to voice there opinions.  On the message board, Harry Baals already has 10,000 votes, while the second place vote getter has 500.  The people have spoken.  You don't need to call it Harry Baals.  Maybe H.B. Government Center.  Or H. Baals Government Center.  The new mayor can even pronounce the name "Bales" if he/she feels uncomfortable.

The fact is that Harry Baals was a strong influence in Fort Wayne and should be recognized for it.  Even the people think so.

Let's hope the city makes the right decision and honor the legacy of Harry Baals, Mayor Fort Wayne.  Seriously.

To my friends in Canton

An open letter to the voters of the Pro Football League Hall of Fame


To whom it may concern,

While emotions may overtake the point this letter will make; I will concede I have never been as angry about sports as I was on Superbowl Sunday.

Yes, the Packers did win the Superbowl and thus officially rendering this season to be the worst season in Minnesota Vikings history. Although surprisingly, that was not the primary reason why I was livid.

No, the voters of the Pro Football Hall of Fame again proved why the system is flawed while all football fans simultaneously had strokes when the voting results were made public

You, the voters, have agreed to once again pass up on the greatest receiver of all time.  I know, Jerry Rice is in the hall but we aren't talking about the hardest working or the most fortunate.  We are talking about the best ever.

All he does is....

We are talking about Cris Carter.  Understand that voters had an obligation to put the best WR in the hall.  He retired as the statistically second best receiver in the game.  Have you ever known an athlete that has been second best in his career and not been voted as a first ballot hall of famer?  Are we leaving out Karl Malone?  Or Ty Cobb (Hank Aaron would be second in HR's)? I mean did you voters leave Marino out of the hall?  No, of course not.

So when you folks didn't vote Cris Carter in as a first ballot, the fans shook our heads and said, "oh well, he'll get in next year."  He didn't.  And now we must wait again so and hope that you don't make the same mistakes.

Sure, I could have lobbied for Andre Reed or Tim Brown but how are you leaving out the best?

Look, Jerry Rice was a fantastic receiver.  Rice had a great work ethic and had the fortunate opportunity to play with Steve Young, Joe Montana, and Rich Gannon for his career as well.

Carter?  Well he played with Gannon, Wade Wilson, Tommy Kramer, Sean Salisbury (God help him), Jim McMahon (who doesn't remember Carter), Warren Moon, Brad Johnson, Randall Cunningham, Jeff George,  Daunte Culpepper, Todd Bouman, and of course Spergon Wynn.

As you can see, he may have had some decent QB's for Carter but none that were championship caliber (except for maybe Moon and Gannon). Furthermore, Carter had to suffer through the same open door policy that the Vikings continue to have at QB to this day.

Even though there was no chemistry, Carter overcame drug problems and was a prolific pass catcher.  In this clip, the NFL network rate him with the best hands EVER.  What am I missing here?

Oh of course.  How silly of me.  The only wide receiver in history to have back to back 120 catches. He was also the only player in Pro Football history to have three 12+ reception games in one season.

Though, we are blessed with knowing the transcendence of Cris Carter and what he did for the wide receiver position.  Any Viking fan will tell you that no one owned the sidelines better than Cris Carter.  And the common sideline techniques that fans see every Sunday is based on what Carter did throughout his entire career.  This technique is historically significant.

So now I ask you, Pro Football Hall of Fame: How long must you continue to torture the best wide receiver in history?  He certainly hasn't deserved it.

All he does is catch touchdowns.  And I look forward to having him tell all of us that in his induction speech.

Can we talk about it?

I had plenty of time to prepare for this one.

I didn't need much help today with other events going on in the world.  I could have talked about Egypt going crazy and shutting off the internet.  And somehow the USA continues to support this dictatorship.  Looks like things are going well there.  You know when a country shuts off the internet, people are completely destroying everything.  "Not the internet!!"

And of course, there is always Charlie Sheen to talk about.  He's really living up to his Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn persona.  Listen, when a person gets a briefcase delivered to them, it leads to bad things.  Think about it, when have you had a briefcase delivered to you?  You maybe see that in a movie.  It always turns out to be a bad sign.  And the thing about our friend Charlie is that I completely believe the story that came out about him here.  Only Charlie could have his life saved by some reality show couple after a four day bender.  Lovely.

No, I don't want to talk about any of these stories because they do the talking for themselves.  I want to discuss how terrible my ride home was.

I'm not going to complain; all I'm going to say is that I'm sick and tired of crazy Massholes running the show.  It took me 3.5 hours today to get a haircut.  That's right, 2.5 hours in traffic and then I had to wait a half hour for the hair cut and of course half hour for the ride home.

I don't understand what goes on in this state.  They continuously tax people and I wonder where this money goes!?  It certainly doesn't go to fixing the roads.  Or removing snow off the streets.  Or fixing the infrastructure to help the flow of traffic.  No, it goes to the socialist government that controls the state.

I'm not going to get political here.  I just want to vent.  Clearly, all drivers born here are some type of terrible on the road. So here's what I'm suggesting:

I think that all Mass drivers take a mandatory test every week to make sure they are competent to drive. Some I have a lot of confidence in, like our friend Emily.  She clearly has a controlled chaos when it comes to commanding the road.  I appreciate the aggressiveness.

But others, like the taxi drivers should have to take the test hourly. I swear, student drivers are better fit to get to point A to point B than the taxi drivers. 

Nothing will change though so thanks for listening.  Because venting is really the only option.

Secret lover, best friend

Best. Thing. Ever.

Last V-day, I was given one of the best gifts ever.

If you have a significant other, you know you have to get a little creative when it comes to gifts for birthday/v-day/holiday sessions; especially if you've been dating awhile.

Also this significant other, if female, should know the fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

Thank goodness that my significant other knows this.  Now, I don't usually plug gifts or products.  However, if you love pizza and you own an oven, why do you not own a pizza stone?

The picture above is my pizza stone after a full years use.  It is literally is the gift that keeps on giving.

And best of all, it's simple to use.

So here's what you do if you want to have the gift of a lifetime:

1. Buy a pizza stone.  Pretty easy to find. I've actually done a lot of the work for you.  Check it out.

2. Put pizza stone in oven.

3. Buy the ingredients for a pizza and make it.  Trader Joe's has dough for only a dollar.

Folks, I'm making this plea because I couldn't hold out anymore.  I was up day and night saying to myself, "is the world ready to know what I know about my beloved pizza stone?"

The answer is yes.  All of you are ready to have a pizza stone in your life.

And if this hasn't convinced you let me give you a scenario that you may or may not have experienced:

Dateline: Big city of your choice
Time: Bar Close

Scenario:

You've had a wonderful evening dancing/chilling/with friends.  But now you have a problem... you're hungry and possibly intoxicated.  What to do?

Then you remember earlier that day you woke up to buy ingredients for your new pizza stone that your friend Dvo recommended.  Remember?  Your favorite pizza is one with the works.  Everything on that bad boy.

You go home and instead of waiting for a pizza place to deliver or possibly give up because they are all closed; you and your closest friends/significant other(s) start hammering away at making a delicious homemade pizza.

Don't be that guy (or girl).  Don't be the one person that doesn't have a pizza stone.

And they make great leftovers.  Make sure to let me know how it goes.  You'll thank me later.

Looking forward to another summer

Do you smell that folks?  That's the smell of my favorite baseball team making another smart move.

No, O-Dawg didn't come back.  However the Minnesota Twins did resign Jim Thome to a one year, three million dollar contract. This is wonderful news.

Should I be excited as ever to welcome back a 40 year old to the Twins? Absolutely.

Look, Jim Thome has made over 159 million dollars over his career and I think all of us assumed that the money never mattered to him.  What matters to him is winning and winning now.  Although his post-season average is not great (.217) and neither is his OPS (.790), he still brings the clutch bat that the Twins need.  The man is first all time in walk off's.  Who wouldn't want him back?

This isn't football people.  We all knew when another 40 year old individual came back to play another season with my favorite football team that he would not be the same person as the year before.  I expect the same to happen to Thome.  His OPS was the fourth highest in his career (1.039) and in a replacement role for an injured Morneau, he hit 25 HR's.  That just won't happen again.

But he will be a great insurance plan if for some reason Morneau is not ready to go.  I think that he was a great protection for Delmon Young last year as well.  Thome usually batted behind Young and allowed DY to have more freedom with the bat.  Now DY having another great year?  I certainly expect that.

Though as we wait for the new season to start, let's just smile and realize that this is probably the Twins most significant signing this off-season.  More than that Japanese infielder and more than Pavano (soon trust me).  And because the culture of the clubhouse is also important to our team, it helps that he's considered one of the best people in baseball.   Baseball is all about numbers and memories.  To play basically start just half the season and have a WAR (Wins above replacement) at 3.5 is fantastic in my book.

So let's remember the memories that he's given us and look forward to another great season for the Minnesota Twins.

Here's one to get you started:  http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=11084089

On a serious note...

It was a tough day on Saturday.

The shooting in Tuscon was a hard pill to swallow for the country.  We get caught up in each day's tasks and events such as the one on Saturday make all of us shake our head and appreciate what we have.  It's unfortunate that this event happened and clearly my thoughts and prayers are with all of the victims and those affected by this senseless tragedy.

And as we learn more about the young man who seems to be a complete sociopath, you would think we play the card for what it is.

But no, Deputy Clarence Dupnik had to address the media hours after the event (while still possibly looking for a second shooter???) that this tragedy was spurned by venomous political rhetoric.

Huh?  When did this Deputy decide that he would use this public stage as a personal outcry of what's wrong right now in American politics?  Instead of delivering facts and focusing on the investigation at hand, the Deputy decided that it would be in the public's best interest to gauge the cause of this unspeakable crime.  

Well, we all know what would happen next.  Not even a day of focusing on the victim's lives and what they  lived for, the talking heads started....talking.

It quickly became a war of words.  Democrats finally pointing the finger saying, "you've gone to far  with your words you crazy republicans!"

Yes this is wrong. But it
doesn't have anything to do
with Saturday

Republicans matching this word fight by saying, "your policies caused this to happen!"

WHOAAA... everyone slow down here.  Let's take this for what it is.  This was a sociopath committing a heinous crime that had nothing to do with the rhetoric of politics.  Rather, this was a sick and twisted individual who should be put to death because of his actions.  Actions that had nothing to do with a Palin map with crosshairs.

In the book Columbine by Dave Cullen, he describes the two individuals that committed one of the worst tragedies in American history.  He analyzes the influences they might have had.  And while Dylan for the most part followed Eric in whatever he did, Eric was just a sociopath.  It wasn't Marilyn Manson or violent video games.  He was just a sociopath.

So while I agree that there is a problem with the way congress addresses each other and the public, I think that it would be best to talk about the "venomous political rhetoric" on a different day.  Because it really has nothing to do with this.

Instead, let's honor the victim's of this tragedy.  Here are their names:

Gabe Zimmerman, 30

Phyllis Scheck, 79

Christina Taylor Greene, 9

John Roll, 63

Dorwin Stoddard, 76

Dorothy Morris, 76

And to those who are injured, we keep them in our thoughts and prayers including congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords

First things first

My California math
says 14 years is too much

Got a little taste?  Good.  Here's some more:

BBWA: Wow, 14 years huh?  It takes you that long to put one of the best curveballs in the baseball hall of fame.  I'm grateful that it will never take 14 years for someone to evaluate me.  The concept makes no sense to me.  Either you are a hall of famer, or you're not.  It should be an active discussion and then a vote and it's done. Please, don't delay Larkin's admission as well.

Give this man his money

Vikings:  17 unrestricted free agents equals problems.  Here's what I'm thinking.  Priorities have to go to Greenway, Rice (I mean come on), Robison (replace Edwards, he costs too much), Fat Pat (let him retire a Viking) and Tahi if you can get him cheap.  Out the door are our QB's and notably Longwell.  Yeah if we can get him cheap, resign him but at this point we need to save some money.  The fact of the matter is that during this offseason we should also pay AD.  Why not?  He's the best player in the league.

Can't spell love without this bag

Teriyaki Sauce:  Why are you so simple to make?  Why are you so delicious?  So underrated. Also awesome is Teriyaki beef jerky.  Thought I would share.

The new "troika?" Let's hope so

Twovles:  Have you seen them lately?  Granted, no one is comparing the Love-B-Easy-Darko troika to Bird-Parish-Mchale.  However, they've got something going.  I enjoy the way the play basketball and if they can get a defensive stopper plus a solid SG.  Like Monta solid.  That said, we're still a year or two out.

Generic Blog Title #1

Well... this is going to be awkward.

Originally, my nickname came to fruition with my first football coach.  It was sixth grade and I was a asthmatic, nerdy, and undersized fullback that had never played any type of organized football.  But wanting to emulate a hero of mine, my brother, I decided that football was something I was going to do because he did.

The first day of practice, I partook in a few drills to get me accustomed to hitting.  Mind you, this is the same stage of life that I would still cry often and be afraid to have a baseball thrown at me (had been playing that sport much longer and still pathetic).  The coach called one drill "the box."  This drill would consist of four cones, placed to look like a square no larger than your kitchen table at home.  Two players would face each other from opposite ends and be ready to get hit.  At the coaches whistle, he would throw the ball to one of us and it was the other person job to tackle the ball carrier.

Of course the coach, a high school drop out and borderline convict, knew this was my first time playing football.  He lined me up first and made sure that the other player was the largest kid on the team.  He blew the whistle and a 6th grader as large as 6'5" 300 lbs. came rick rolling my direction. Tears rolling down my face, I lowered my shoulder and got nailed back at least 20 yards.

After practice, coach came over and gave me a pep talk.  He said, "you gotta play fierce, play like you wanna hurt people.  You wanna hurt people don't you?"

Confused by the context but still scared I reluctantly nodded my head.

"You need a nickname," he exclaimed.  "Something that makes others shake in their pads."

"What about 'killer'," I asked.

"No, I don't see you as a 'killer'.  Though you should still sound tough.  You seen the movie Friday yet?"

"Umm, no.  I'm not sure I can see that," I said referring to the rated R movie.

"Well the guy in there, that movie, his name is DeeBo.  You're last name kind of sounds like that."

And from there it was born, or spawned, or something.  The letters of my last named were used to form my nickname that I've fondly carried with me since that season.

And most may know me by my first name, I thought I would share how others might call me.  Though spelling might be a different story of course.  Devo, Divo, D'vo, DeeVo.....

So now, I'll introduce my blog.  A luxurious collection of stories, opinions, sports and food.  You could call it a coming out party.  Wait... please don't call it that.

Happy reading

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